Visually Uninspiring
The Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers concert seemed better suited for a school hall at assembly time, or a workshop in a leisure center than a performance in a theatre.
My husband left half way through, I wish I had followed him I was so bored. Don’t get me wrong I play a djembe drum and I know how difficult it is to keep a beat for a long period of time and I admire the stamina and effort it took to play these particular drums, but the show itself was unpolished and there was nothing else to break the long stream of percussion.
The drummers were more than capable to give a good performance, but for me the execution was lacking in excitement, there was no WOW factor and the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers show lacked pizazz.
I read Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers reviews that promised a show filled with athletic ability, I envisaged people jumping over drums and all manner of imaginative routines during the show by the mugenkyo taiko drummer, but instead the performers were pretty much stationary with one routine the drummers moving along in a line playing each others drums, which was repeated many times throughout the concert.
We got to see a man’s back for ten minutes for one of the compositions which was as exciting as a limp salad sandwich, I kid you not, a man’s back for 10 minutes, just his back and a spot light on him banging a big drum 
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers performance had No WOW factor, NO pizazz!
The show didn’t flow well with the drummers taking ages to clear the set between acts with nothing to entertain the audience successfully.
Another reviewer stated that it was an almost religious experience, if that lights their religious primeval fire then I’m glad I cook on gas.
Maybe the reviews in some small town newspapers saw a different show to us since there is reference to dancers in some of their reviews about the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers, the show we saw had 6 drummers with the occasional performance of a flutist. Looking at the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers official website there are pictures of people wearing scary masks non of which was part of the show we saw!
I found the whole show morbid, they had this monotone going on of walking slowly across the stage, I guess to try and imitate the discipline in martial arts, but they didn’t pull it off.
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers didn’t liven up until the very end where at last they got the audience involved in the show by clapping along, but for me it was to little to late.
We also had to endure several times during the Mugenkyo show one of the main drummers talking about the drums and music they were about to perform, I felt like I was back in school when some boring man would come along and give you some informative information in the most dreary way possible.
I have seen many shows that give you a little background information, but they managed to do it in a stimulating, fun and entertaining way.
Best way to describe Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers show would be their fitness level and drum playing is impressive just not entertaining enough for a full 2 hour theatre performance, the layout of the show is about as exciting as a soggy chip bag, the playing is good the show as a whole is bad.
The whole shows morbid
The Mugenkyo Taiko Drummer performance isn’t solely based on this oriental drumming, but also Incorporated modern pieces of music, then why have this ritual ethos from Asia filling the entire show with performers walking around the stage looking like their having as much fun as a circus clown with a stick up his backside that he’s using as a pogo stick to entertain the crowd, since the show had modern pieces of music involved why envelope the entire show around this morbid tone that would be more suited to a funeral than a theatre?
I think I would have been happier with this performance had been apart of a festival or in some small setting like a hall. For example I think if the small arts movement (Lincolnshire Arts) had shown this in a church or ballroom I would have liked it more, since the ticket price would have been small about £20 for three of us to see and I would have viewed it more of an experience rather than entertainment that I had spent £50+ on tickets to see in a theatre. The price did not match the standard of show you would expect at this price
Drums were originally used for drama and purpose before a battle to rally the troops or as a festival to celebrate, but Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers concert failed to provoke any passion or feelings from us.
One of the most boring shows I’ve ever seen!
One thing they did get right was the way they had all the acts on stage wear the same outfit giving equal respect to the female performers, so many shows put women in skimpy outfits to titillate the men in the audience and in doing so making women instantly not as important or talented as the men, so that was nice to see for a change in the Mugenkyo show, the women was as skilled as the men and could manage every size drum.
The only performance that sparked our interest was during one of the pieces of music the lights in the theatre was turned off and a black light was used to dramatic effect to enhance a ribbon and mask routine, but that was the only visually stimulating performance of the entire night, they never did anything after that
The show is about as exciting as a soggy chip bag
The Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers concert had a flute player who was new to the show, I found some of her pieces of music beautiful and rather haunting. She played both modern and wooden flutes of which I preferred the wooden flute it had a softer tone and gave more atmosphere than the modern flute.
The flute player had much more life in her than the other performers since she would nip on and off stage rather than adopting a solum gate like the drummers.
As exciting as a limp salad sandwich
The main reason I went to see the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummer is because I’m a huge fan of drums (I play myself) and I’ve been to many shows that have used traditional live drums successfully. The beat of the live drum in other performances have set my heart racing in amongst the drama being revealed on stage, but in the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummer concert there was no drama.
It’s a real shame really there is a show somewhere in the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers, their ability to play drums is pretty darn good, but the show it’s self needs more excitement and atmosphere to produce a viable visual drum show for a theatre, I was falling asleep throughout and I yawned so many times I’m surprised I hadn’t sprained my jaw, if it wasn’t for the power of the large drums rattling the seats in the auditorium I would have easily dosed off and I’m only 36.
One of the most boring shows I’ve ever seen!
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers Star Rating
Would We Go Again : NO Definatly NOT!
Would We Recommend To Others: NO
Was It Value For Money: NO WAY
Recommended For: All Ages
Star Rating 3/10
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