Alekseev just brought a huge guffaw to the press centre with the Belorussian staging that follows the long forgotten mantra that more is definitely more. It’s cringeworthy cliche loaded on top of cringeworthy cliche and it makes for an absorbing three minutes of musical comedy.
He’s atop a plinth in a white loose sleeved top singing into a rose, yet in two run throughs the head of the rose fell off. He then places it on a wobbly stand where it quivers unnervingly in shot for the female backing dancer to pluck up and shoot it back over to him and through the hand. It’s ridiculous and one of those ‘only at Eurovision’ moments. It’s like a clip from the Magic Circle’s apprenticeship scheme! There’s then an explosion of rose petals on screen before the girl flounces in front of him and he turns his back on the camera to reveal a huge rose tattoo on his back.
Sadly, it’s a false skin shirt and it’s all crumpled at the bottom making the last shot of the song ridiculous.
Belarus is certainly memorable but not the way they were intending.