Review: ZooNation's 'Some Like It Hip Hop'

Hip Hop is more than a musical genre, it’s an artistic form of expression found through poetry, music, visual arts and dance. With expression deep enough to tell a story… who needs words? I went to check out the ZooNation’s ‘Some Like It Hip Hop’, an inverted take on Billy Wilder’s cross dressing 1959 hit ‘Some Like It Hot’ mixed up with some familiar Shakespeare themes.

‘Some Like It Hip Hop’ is directed by choreographer and self-acclaimed Hip Hop lover Kate Prince, who also directed the Hip Hop musical ‘Into The Hoods’.

The story is narrated by Tachia Newall, complimented by his beatbox and rapping skills, along with soulful jazzy musicians and singers. It is however the visual manifestation of the actors who all speak the language of break dance, a powerful tool of expression that allows us to connect with the characters in a world where words are no longer required. Using flips, krumping, breaking, and moves that seem far beyond the bodies capabilities, the visuals were mind-blowing!

So here’s the plot, a Governor whose grief from his wife passing has caused him to shut out the sun from the city and the people in it; literature is banned, only men can work in the factory while the women are treated like second class citizens left to domestic duties with a rule that they should only be ‘seen and not heard’, the ‘rejects’ live outside the city walls and are left homeless.

Two rebellious protagonists played by Lizzi Gough and Teneisha Bonner whom after being kicked out of the factory, disguise themselves as men alongside a bookworm played by Tommie Franzen who joins them in their attempt to dance their way in to get work and re-enter the factory. Without giving too much away the Governor’s daughter also works her way into the factory in an attempt to eventually reveal herself and bring back the man that her dad once was.

The grimy, smoky set along with the lighting works well to set the mood and the scene, especially during the bunk bed scene, where the characters are doing a synchronised worm!

‘Some Like It Hip Hop’ has rawness to it, very high doses of energy with stylish wit and humour. The show is a live jam that brings to life a tale of rebellion, rejection of knowledge, broken hearts, love and freedom. The body movement of the characters is dripped in emotion demonstrating their moments of power, oppression and struggle. Going back to the early days of Hip Hop, it was used as a voice for the voiceless, a creative tool used to empower, ‘Some Like It Hip Hop’ brings back this essence, and in many ways the dystopian city that exists in this story is a clever representation of today’s society.

With snappy, edgy, smooth, fast and slow dynamic dance movements accompanied by neck breaking beats…Hip Hop most definitely was alive! With its fantastic music, good vibes, and an energetic talented cast you just can’t help but shake a leg, I highly recommend you check out ‘Some Like It Hip Hop’!

For tickets and more info Click here.

Rishma Dhaliwal

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Rishma Dhaliwal

Editor / PR Consultant at No Bounds

Rishma Dhaliwal has extensive experience studying and working in the music and media industry. Having written a thesis on how Hip Hop acts as a social movement, she has spent years researching and connecting with artists who use the art form as a tool for bringing a voice to the voiceless. Currently working in TV, Rishma brings her PR and media knowledge to I am Hip Hop and other projects by No Bounds.