The Top Floor Flat

I’m not sure if I’ve previously described the European phenomenon that is Eurovision yet.  I didn’t actually see the Eurovision song competition this year but I did catch the Eurovision dance competition spin-off which gave me a pretty good taste of the show.

Basically, Eurovision Song Competition is a televised singing competition in which different countries from the European Union have send one act to perform in the finals (not every country or the thing would go on forever – I think usually sixteen countries compete?).  The best part, however, is the voting.  Each country votes but you can’t vote for your own country’s act.  At the end of the competition, each country is broadcast into the host country (and the live program) by video link to share the results.

The competition has apparently been going on for decades and has launched pop groups, including Abba, into fame and popularity.  As far as I can tell, Eurovision in the UK is sort of like marmite.  You love it or you hate it but very few people take it seriously.  It’s incredibly campy and often quite stereotypical which is why it lended itself quite well to a spoof musical called Eurobeat which is now playing at the Novello theatre.

Over the weekend, Sarah, Steve and I went to see the show which a friend of ours at work had given rave reviews.  Upon entering, we were offered a flag pin at random of one of the ten different countries “performing” that evening.  I, of course, was Ireland.  We were also told to leave our cell phones ON during the show as we would be using them to call in and vote for the winner (which was actually chosen by the audience and our votes were announced by video link.  I was impressed).

Overall, the music was ridiculous, the parts were over acted, and there was no plot or storyline (it was, straight up, ten different acts competing for our votes, then the winner getting announced).  But it was absolutely hilarious and so much fun.  I don’t know if I’d see it again (as our work colleague had) but it was so much fun (I still have Italy’s song stuck in my head).

Now I just need to see the real thing.