JIGU! Thunder Drums of China: review

Wow, what a fun performance. Two friends and I decided that this would be an interesting show to attend, especially after seeing the wonderful drumming on the opening of the Olympics. We got to the box office 1 hour before the show started at the Brown Theatre and were pleasantly surprised by being able to buy "rush tickets" which were only $10. We were way in the back but with an intimate theatre as is the Brown, there are no bad seats. Over half the crowd was children who were all very excited to be going to this show. The performers would change the number and types of drums for each composition; these ranging in size from small drums you could hang around your neck to a giant drum which was wheeled in by 2 men and was at least 6' across as it was suspended on its side. As would be expected, the drum sounds filled the hall but were not overpowering. I really liked the tonal aspect of the different drums and how the composer used them to create visuals with their sounds. The costumes added to the drama as did the choreography of each of the drummers as they played their instruments. The children (and adults) really enjoyed the horn-type instruments played during the “Duck” song (about fighting ducks) and the dancing that went with it. It was a great show and we had a lot of fun!