Cat Velez - 1st Sept 2015
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are back and at it again in this jawdropper of a production number for Downtown, self-directed by Ben Haggerty (aka Macklemore), Lewis and regular collaborator Jason Koenig).
Very much in the spirit of everything from Thrift Shop onwards, its a spectacle that throws loads of ideas, involves a cast of literally thousands, and all with that special Macklemore exuberance and likeably homespun pizzazz. And it took a production team from three production companies all summer to bring it home.
And it all starts with an ecstatic ode to mopeds, and the golden age of hip-hop. Then it follows Macklemore through a retro-fied Spokane, Washington, backed by his b-boy crew, as they get down in some excellent West Side Story style dance battles, and joins in on some stylish bikers parades – culminating in an over-the-top parade of epic proportions to rival an MGM musical. A big hats off to that production team.
Cat Velez - 1st Sept 2015