Barbershopera II

Esteve is a very confused matador. He has journeyed to a tiny Norfolk village to claim his inheritance, only to learn that it is his late father’s hairdressing salon. Quite how a matador swaps his sword for scissors fills the rest of one of the most fun-packed musical hours at the fringe, where ancient rivalries in sleepy Shavingham stir – as do the matador’s loins on meeting the feisty town-crier Vicky. And somehow it all leads to a Wild West-style climactic coiffeur ‘cut-off’ between Esteve and sinister snipper Trevor Sorbet and his Miracle Mousse.

Unlikely hairdos and accents punctuate the zippy four-part harmonies that range from barbershop (obviously) and opera via hip hop and G&S. Stand-out numbers include the Voluptuous Vicky duet, the Mousse rap and a beautiful hymn to Shavingham, with even a nod to Prince in between the pink rinses.

As the motormouth matador Rob Castell combines bravura with hilarious bafflement, matched by the sensuous charms of Lara Stubbs as the prickly Vicky. Tom Sadler brings a dark edge of humour to Esteve’s arch-rival Trevor, while Pete Sorel-Cameron manfully holds the whole thing together as solid chappy hairdresser Rod.

Writers Castell and Sadler and director Sarah Tipple have created a fast-paced technical tour de force that manages to be sheer entertainment at the same time. And thanks to the efforts of this dazzling cast, the combination has created a subtle slice of cutting-edge comedy.