EDITORIAL: ‘Shane’s Singo Music Bingo’ lights up Prague Fringe’s late nights with glitzy melodic fun

Cast your mind away from Nan at the Bingo Hall and take a dive into Shane’s Singo Music Bingo – a whiplash-inducing musical bonanza that spans pop, rock, showtunes and blockbuster soundtracks. The idea is simple – you get given a bingo sheet when you walk in with the names of songs, artists, films and the like, and you cross them off as the delightful Shane Durrant whizzes through medleys and relishes in full versions of the classics. It’s sing-a-long silliness with a healthy dose of fun and fancy that never slows down.

When you get a line, or two lines, or a full house, Shane encourages you to head to the stage at breakneck pace to take a shot of liquor with him or race to the bar to redeem a free beer. What at first seems like a quick-and-easy late night entertainment show soon becomes something much more communal, much more hilarity-inducing and far more wildly dopamine-inducing as the room quickly falls under Shane’s spell. He approaches the whole thing with such inviting charisma, musical conviction and dedication to the bit that even the least-likely dancers will end up doing the Dirty Dancing lift by halfway through.

Shane changes up the music each night – his focus on elevating the crowd, both vocally and in energy levels, pulls you on a whirlwind tour through the popular music vocabulary. Highlights of our experience included a dance battle to the Time Warp between a professional clown and an actor who plays Franz Kafka in other shows at the Fringe. Not to forget the nail-biting moments in which people run to the stage with ‘false finishes’ on their bingo sheets, which Shane handles with banter and glee. Performers, crew, and punters alike band together at the conclusion of the day’s performances to raise vibration, verve and vigour in the Malostranska Beseda for one hour more.

Recommended Drink: Jump up on stage and have a shot of crazy Czech brandy with your host.

You can’t miss Shane’s Singo Music Bingo if you’re at Prague Fringe – catch it until the 27th May at 00:30. Tickets are available through the Prague Fringe Box Office.