The Taboo Revue
31 January 2022
London Palladium
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
I was a bit on the fence about seeing Taboo, mostly due to the hefty price tag of tickets. But when a second performance was announced and I managed to snag reasonably priced tickets in the circle, I was quite excited to see this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The twentieth anniversary of Taboo, the musical about the early career of Boy George and the colourful life of performance artist Leigh Bowery, was celebrated to the fullest extent with this charity concert performance of the show.
The musical itself never saw commercial success, which is a shame as it’s quite the show! Centred around London’s New Romantic scene of the 70s and 80s, the show features a cast of iridescent and unique characters who try to find their own way and make a mark in the world. While the plot itself isn’t very refined, it is definitely interesting and a fascinating view on a culture that is still often seen as taboo, too loud, too bright, too self-important.
I thoroughly enjoyed the brightness and loudness and the non-judgmental characterisation of people whose egos let them fly high. Seeing Boy George take on the role of Leigh Bowery, along with Sam Buttery and Julian Clary, was also an absolute treat and I hope the show gets another chance, perhaps with a few tweaks to make the plot a little more appealing, while keeping its character!