Posts with the label the vaults
Showing posts with label the vaults. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the vaults. Show all posts
Friday 16 February 2018
YOU, Vault Festival | Review
YOU
VAULT Festival
Reviewed on Thursday 15th February 2018 by Shaun Dicks
★★★★
We find ourselves in The Pit at the Vault Festival, the sound of trains passing over the theatre and the background noise of excited theatrical crowds. The Pit is a brick and concrete theatre, completed with wooden benches, set up in Traverse, giving it a rustic feel. Tonight’s viewing is You, a narrative based story about adoption. We follow the story of a woman who falls pregnant in her teens and puts up her child for adaption. We then follow the story of the child growing up with their adoptive family. This all builds to the adopted child starting to search for his birth mother.
Mark Wilson’s script is a feast of language. The story and the language is a joy to behold- giving the actors so much to work with. The script is littered with beautiful language, flowing narrative, seamless transitions and humour. The story is so well told by Kathryn O’Reilly and Stephen Myott-Meadows. Their portrayal of such a raw and tender story are near pitch perfect, with both performers giving a well rounded and focused performance.
Ultimately O’Reilly shines the brightest, with her heartfelt and honest portrayal of her characters. The direction from Sarah Meadows is also a highlight, in a space that is plagued with restrictions, she maximises its usage and effectiveness to elevate the piece as a whole. The shows use of music (composed by Benedict Taylor), underscoring the majority of the piece gave a big screen feel, almost giving the audience cues on how to feel during those moments.
You is a beautiful story of love, loss, family and what family is defined as. It’s truly an emotional play that doesn’t shy away from the truth. I personally would love to see a extended version of this play as I feel there is more of this story to be told. I hope there is another run for You, as this story needs to be expressed and deserves to be heard.
If you can, get yourself down to the Vault Festival and see You, you’ll be doing yourself a favour.
photo credit: Nick Rutter
photo credit: Nick Rutter
Thursday 12 October 2017
Hair, The Vaults | Review
Hair
The Vaults
★★★★★
First premiering on Broadway in 1967, Hair is about hippies, the anti-war movement, LGBTQ+ rights, Black Lives Matter, women’s equality and so much more; themes which sadly still resonate with us 50 years later.
Although I’d never seen a production of Hair, many of the songs were familiar to me and I felt as if I’d almost been born knowing them! Whilst I wasn’t part of the ‘Hair Generation’ (I wasn’t born for another 30 years) I feel that this production has reinvented it and definitely made it perfect for my generation as well as those younger than me. The setting is historical but it’s been cleverly entwined with the modern world and the parallels to the youth of today to make it extremely pertinent.
The Vaults at Waterloo have been transformed into a colourful, relaxed, hippy den which provides the perfect vibe and atmosphere for the performance and certainly puts everyone in the right mind set for what they're about to experience. It feels immersive but not over the top.
Hair is musically brilliant, it's songs have been performed by some huge artists and it's become a source of inspiration for many composers. The rhythmic music pairs with the story wonderfully and manages to be funny, powerful and clever all at once. These feelings are of course exemplified by the outstanding performances from the cast, especially during the finale: 'Let The Sun Shine In' which becomes a sort of battle cry and is really very moving.
Leading the plot we have Robert Metson as Claude who's been enlisted into the army. His vocals are strong, he gives a heartfelt performance and shows his transition from the free life to the life he lives for his country extremely well. Fresh from his stint in Yank!, Andy Coxon takes on the role of the carefree, larger than life Berger with grace and ease and is especially funny during his moments of audience interaction. Laura Johnson brings an innocence to Sheila which is touching to see and really draws you into her character and her rendition of 'Easy To Be Hard' was particularly memorable.
A special mention must go to Natalie Green (Cassie/Mom) who's solo and ensemble vocal moments are completely out of this world. Her clear, powerful voice both when belting and singing in a more classical style is faultless, her natural performance draws the eye at various points and she's a joy to watch on stage. The entire cast are great and work seamlessly together to create the idyllic and harmonious feeling.
Hair is more than a show, its an experience. This production is fresh and striking and certain to be loved by audiences during its run. So let the sun shine into your life and go see this show for a night of youthful, uninhibited freedom, expression and love. After all, the world could do with a little more love these days!
Hair runs at The Vaults until 3rd December 2017
photo credit: Claire Bilyard
Saturday 29 April 2017
Alice's Adventures Underground, The Vaults | Review
Alice's Adventures Underground
The Vaults
Reviewed on Thursday April 27th 2017 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
Alice's Adventures Underground at The Vaults underneath Waterloo station is not just a show, it's an experience. An experience which everyone should have. It's magical, mystical, unique and altogether brilliant.
Based on the books by Lewis Carroll, we travel around the whimsical Wonderland meeting a variety of characters in a number of different, fantastically designed locations. The great thing about this event is that it's always different and everyone's experience is completely unique. Depending on your choices, you follow varying routes and the multiple casts and audience members mean that everything is always different.
Upon entering Wonderland, we're ushered into a room filled with photos, chandeliers, dusty books and of course, a looking glass. A blonde haired, blue eyed girl appears and seems to have forgotten who she is, asking "who am I?" before disappearing and leading the way for our adventure to begin.
The excitement can be felt in the room as we are taken to make our first decision of the night: 'eat me' or 'drink me'. This determines which path we will take, and with 24 adventures happening at the same time, it's basically impossible to be part of the same show twice. We're given a playing card and split into suits who are each led by a performer who guides us madly through the labyrinth of wonderland.
The impressive thing about this immersive experience is how seamless it is. Not a beat is missed and each moment is so well planned that nothing is clumsy or rushed. It's mind-blowing how slick it is. The characters are crazy and mad but performed perfectly, I particularly loved Zara Plessard as the Queen of Hearts. I don't want to give too much away about the characters and story because not everyone sees them all and it's definitely best to go into this without any preconceptions but every moment is truly brilliant and the its honestly does get curiouser and curiouser at every turn.
If you get the chance to go to this magic underground then please do! You're guaranteed a theatrical experience like no other, it's bewildering, breathtaking, beautiful and an absolute must-see.
Alice's Adventures Underground runs at The Vaults until 23rd September 2017.
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