STORIES at a glance

Show
STORIES: The Tap Dance Sensation
Venue
Peacock Theatre, Holborn
Address
Portugal Street, London WC2A 2HT
Nearest station
Holborn (Temple also nearby)
Genre
Dance: tap, urban jazz and percussion
Running time
1 hour 10 minutes, no interval
Age guidance
5+
Dates
14 – 31 October 2026 (20 performances)
Price range
From £22 (typically £22–£90)
Company
RB Dance Company
Choreography and music
Romain Rachline Borgeaud

Expert Review: STORIES at the Peacock Theatre

4.3
★★★★☆

LTH Expert Rating

Reviewed by the London Theatre Hub editorial team. Last updated: 23 September 2026. Rating based on the 2024 London run.

The Verdict

Tap has a reputation as a nostalgic art form, all top hats and Broadway staircases. STORIES pushes it somewhere else: a moody, film-noir world where the dancers' feet do the talking and the rhythm drives a story. The French company RB Dance built it around a simple idea, a young screen star under the thumb of a tyrannical director, and uses that as a frame for set piece after set piece of tightly drilled ensemble work.

When it came to the Peacock in 2024, the run sold out and most reviewers were won over. The Spy in the Stalls gave five stars and found the dancers' chemistry "electrifying"; Theatre and Tonic and The Upcoming both gave four. The recurring criticism was the storytelling: several critics found the plot hard to follow, and British Theatre Guide felt the tapping was sometimes drowned out by a loud score. Go for the precision and the energy rather than the narrative, and it is a very easy hour and ten minutes, especially over half term.

What Makes It Special

  • Tap reinvented. Tap, urban jazz and percussion combined into something closer to a gig than a traditional dance recital.
  • An ensemble that moves as one. Reviewers consistently singled out the synchronisation of the company as the show's great strength.
  • No language barrier. Told entirely through movement and music, so it works for younger children and international visitors alike.
  • A proven hit. More than 300,000 people have seen it across Europe, and its 2024 London debut sold out.
  • Perfect half-term length. Seventy minutes, no interval, in a central London theatre.

You'll love STORIES if you...

  • Enjoy high-energy dance with a driving beat
  • Want a short family show for the October half term
  • Loved shows built on rhythm and ensemble precision
  • Are visiting London and want something without dialogue
  • Are introducing children to dance for the first time

It might not be for you if you...

  • Want a clear, easy-to-follow storyline
  • Prefer quiet, classical tap to a loud, amplified score
  • Are looking for a full-length evening with an interval
  • Prefer spoken drama or musicals with songs

Best for

  • Families
  • Half term
  • Dance fans
  • International visitors
  • Short and sweet
  • Kids 5+

Less suited to audiences who want a strong storyline or a traditional musical.

Critical Reception

STORIES made its London debut at the Peacock Theatre in autumn 2024 and was well received, with most reviewers giving four or five stars. The Reviews Hub praised "the sublime synchronicity of the 10 on-stage dancers", while critics were more divided on how clearly the story comes across.

  • The Spy in the Stalls ★★★★★
  • Theatre and Tonic ★★★★
  • The Upcoming ★★★★

Source: published reviews of the 2024 Peacock Theatre run, October 2024.

Everything You Need to Know

What happens in STORIES?

STORIES follows Icarus, a young actor who has found fame on screen but lives under the control of the film director who made him. After a confrontation between the two, Icarus tries to break away and find his own voice, while the director's influence keeps pulling him back.

Told through rhythm

There is no spoken dialogue. The story unfolds through tap routines, urban jazz dance and percussion, with the company switching between the world of the film set and Icarus's own struggle. The look draws on old Hollywood and film noir, with atmospheric lighting framing the dancers.

What to expect

Expect big, synchronised ensemble numbers, solos built on speed and precision, and a loud, amplified score. It is a spectacle first and a story second: audiences who go for the dancing tend to enjoy it most.