Ill admit that a cappella isnt usually a genre that fills me with ebullience. I believe that after In the Pink I may have to revise that opinion. The premise is as you would expect: the group of 15 or so girls, all garbed in black with their own personal pink flair (a headband, a bow etc.) sing a collection of well-known songs with the aid of a small harmonica for tuning and some human beatboxing for those that require some semblance of a beat. Each girl takes a solo part in each song and we work in rotation until everybody has had a turn. Its all very egalitarian. And its also all very good. This is not a show in which each performer is granted their own moment in the spotlight so as to avoid frictious relationships; this is a show in which each performer is granted their own moment in the spotlight on merit. Without exception their voices are very good - some sweet, some soulful, all superb - and have excellent ranges, and the songs chosen by the group demonstrate this admirably, even if sometimes the high notes are missed. Worthy of exceptional praise were those soloists singing Oh What a Night (she had both a beguiling smile and an enchanting voice) and Rosé. The girl who had been given that solo has the sweetest voice Ive ever heard. Its perfect for singing lullabies. However, highlighting those two is not to do a disservice to the rest of the group, it is just that they stood out as particularly talented in a flock of talented vocalists. Meanwhile, the soloist who sang the high part of Happy Ending was either wildly off tune or was aiming to sound like a chipmunk with its testicles trapped in a slowly-contracting vice. That needs work. Furthermore, it was at times difficult to hear the solos over the backing chorus and diction in certain songs (Walking on Sunshine, Tainted Love/Sweet Dreams) from soloists could be improved dramatically. Some performers also seemed very nervous and tended to skulk at the back of the stage, though that may have been because I saw this show early in the run and they may have been new faces, unused to the pressures of performing to a stony-faced audience. The dancing, meanwhile, was a little odd. Everybody was moving, and thats always better than standing stock still, but it was uncoordinated and looked a little messy. A routine would be a bonus, if theres time in rehearsals. But as a critic this is what I do. I find the smallest fault and bellow it from the rooftops, no matter how insignificant it is, and in relation to this show overall they ARE insignificant niggling snipes. All Star was very infectious and transformed seamlessly into Hallelujah. The hapless audience member dragged up to be part of the furniture of Breaking Up is Hard to Do seemed to be enjoying himself. We did too, actually. It was very amusing watching fifteen girls throw themselves passionately and longingly at a bemused man with a sheepish grin plastered to his face. Rather annoyingly, after leaving the auditorium I had several of the songs rattling around my head for several hours. I even went home and Spotifyed one of them. Thats the sign of a good show. Oh, and did I mention that all the girls are students at Oxford? Brains, looks, voices some people have all the luck.
