Review: The Populars, Volcano Theatre Company, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, By Hannah Goslin

 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

If there is any time for a production around Brexit, then this is it.

But this is Volcano Theatre Company – do not expect it to be as simple as a Brexit play.

In what looks like a village hall at Summerhall, there are no chairs, no ‘basic theatre staging’; nothing is quintessential about this production.

Firstly, it is AMAZING how this small group of performers keep going. Edinburgh is unusually hot at the moment, and to then essentially dance full stop, in character, no where to hide, for probably 15 minutes is a feat in itself.

Volcano are well known (and gosh don’t I know it from my training days with them as a student) for their physicality, and so there is no fear in this when they battle over tables, ‘claiming space’ and almost throw one another around the room. They each have a ‘character’ but there’s also an honesty about them – we get to know them, their personalities, with the opportunity to ad lib and interact with us alone and as a group, and from this we get the impression of their personalities. Of course, this may just be very good acting, but still, we enjoy getting to know them, laughing with them, dancing with them and all the absurdities in between.

The ‘choones’ are EXCELLENT- A brilliant choice of music; it lets us get involved, as music is a powerful tool when everyone knows the song. And these are eclectic in themselves, with diverse nationalities and drag us into one era, while the performers question the future; we are left in a state of every changing existence.

The Populars is high energised fun, full of important questions, great music and intense choreography.

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