Typically the day after Thanksgiving is officially Black Friday when most Americans shop for deals and specials, but on November 24, 2017, inside the gorgeous rainbow-lit John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, I was officially Gobsmacked!
Gobsmacked! is a special British a cappella and beatboxing show starting its 120-city National tour in Washington, DC; featuring an array of seven to nine cast but my overall standouts were UK’s X-Factor finalist Marcus Collins, the impressive bass vocalist Ed Scott, the delightful diva-in-training Emilie Louise Israel, and of course the world-champion beatboxer super-talented “conductor” of Ball-Zee.
It was my first time at the intimate Eisenhower Theater and my Orchestra seating had a fantastic view of the stage. Unfortunately, during the first half of the show, I was a little confused as to why seven characters were on stage together. Some were lovers and/or friends but I finally gave up trying to follow the storyline and just tried to figure out which songs they’d tried to do next – like a magical a cappella jukebox on the stage filled with awesome decades of pop hits.
In addition, the performers were having technical issues with their earpieces which caused some pitchy moments during Pump It Up (Black Eyed Peas) and Mr. Brightside (Killers) as well as a distracting moment when sparks occurred from the hot lighting stage lamps.
Here’s a brief playlist of what was remixed into Gobsmacked!: Black Eyed Peas, The Killers, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Adele, Gnarls Barkley, Ed Sheeran, One Direction, David Guetta, Prince, etc. Overall, my favorite song performance of the night was during Emilie’s Lady Gaga/Beyonce’s rendition of Telephone because the voices blended perfectly in harmony which gave me goosebumps and made me want to dance on stage.
With a quick 15-minute intermission, the second half picks up the mood with The X-Factor’s Collins singing Donna Summer’s “Could It Be Magic“ as well as the exciting and comedic solo beatbox segment by Ball-Zee. Plus, who doesn’t love hearing sexy British accents?!!!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8A9myhI83c[/embedyt]
Finally, without giving away any more spoilers and surprises of the show, it looks like ALL Gobsmacked! shows sold-out this weekend at the Kennedy Center, but if you can make it to any other cities of their National Tour I’d highly recommend booking tickets to this approximately two-hour entertaining show. For more information, log onto http://gobsmackedtheshow.com/. Bottom line: Gobsmacked! is a holiday treat for your ears and hearts.
Final Grade: B+
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