(5 / 5)

Who would have thought that putting Shakespeare, veganism and the state of the world together in one production would make such a spectacular performance.

HAM is a show based on Hamlet, but instead of his father, Hamlet is looking for retribution for the death of a pig as a vegan. The acts are summarised and loosely based on but with this approach, with a healthy dose of comedy, of in-your-face theatrical techniques and pulling at your heart. It is unapologetic, kinky and so well performed.

Many of the quotes and reviews have said how funny this production is. And trust me, it is. Mary and Ell are very comedic performers but also have such a great ability to be unfiltered, in your face at the right time and able to switch and change characters so clearly and perfectly. They involve us in the performance, with small audience interaction but mainly by talking to us, like we are friends and in the most intimate way. It feels comfortable and so when they bring down hard facts, put difficult images and truths across to us, it hits us even harder than it would in any other performance.

I think what really hit me and the approach I wanted to give to this review which is different from others I’ve seen is how important this production is. Yes, Mary and Ell are funny, they take the mick, there are comical moments. But by being fearless, they really hit home veganism and the impact of this on the world and us. We see images and videos, real media that is of slaughterhouses, and treatment of animals and it’s a really difficult watch. The narrative adds to this impact and when Mary and Ell bring discussions and facts to us, we want to listen. All of this is important. I chose to be a vegetarian almost 10 years ago. As an animal lover and wannabe-eco-warrior, it felt like a choice that was important to make. And if I wasn’t already this, this show would have changed that for me. It was really hard to watch at times and left me in really inconsolable tears. Would I change it? Hell no. This is important to see and topics such as this need fearless performers like Mary and Ell to put it in front of us.

I feel I could go on and on about how complete perfection HAM is. But it would never do it justice. HAM is so smart, so important, funny and boundary breaking. It is a MUST see and, to really appreciate how utterly brilliant it is, you need to see HAM immediately.

(3 / 5)

If you’re looking for something that will give you a chuckle but is something new every time and yet is slightly satirical of the world of Austen, then look no further.

This show is very much what it says on the tin; each show is different as they take a theme and improvise on the topic, all set in the world of Austen and the topics of her stories such as the marriage mart, high society, the Georgian world. The approach is fundamentally of the time but the occasional improvisation dips into modern life, all depending on where the performers decide to take it.

In true Austen style, the performance that I attended had an underlying theme of the push and pull of romance, the will they won’t they, and a sense of not entirely being sure who will end up with whom. Alongside this, the performers take on the improvised challenge of suddenly being in a church rave, a coffee shop with questionable machinery, and a moment where the movement of the minimal staging that goes on too long because a ridiculous moment of moving chairs around the space. The performers lean into it and take the unexpected changes with real gusto.

What is enjoyable is how much the performers themselves seem to find the performance, occasionally chuckling or trying to trick one another. They equally take the mantle from one another but are certainly skilled enough to run with directions they weren’t expecting to go.

While enjoyable, I wouldn’t say that I particularly came away having laughed enough for sides to split. But it did elicit a chuckle and general content enjoyment.

Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel is a fun show to watch, with the knowledge that each performance will likely be completely different to the next, and for the Austen fans, enough reference with the dash of modernisation to make you chuckle.

(5 / 5)

You already know the pull for me on this production: did someone say lifesize puppets? I was somewhat anxious about this; I am a self-confessed wimp when it comes to horror and therefore, something that could feel so real was a real jump for me to attend. But I am so glad I did. 

In the very dark theatre, I witnessed a retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula like no other. The main character we focus on is Lucy, where we are taken through a changing between her nightmares and real life. Dracula haunts both and she falls victim to this but takes back charge to become our heroine. Or does she? 

The whole production is one crazy feverdream. With a darkened space, limbs, both real and of puppets seemingly come from the air, creating imagery that seems almost impossible to be achieved. There are times when there’s a combination of both; Lucy as a lifesize puppet is rallied around by human characters, but in her dream world, she is human and haunted by a disembodied Dracula puppet. These swaps, which incidentally when they happen are so seamless, that we actually have no idea what is real and what isn’t anymore. Dracula’s head flies out of the dark and the exquisite making of this is so lifelike that it’s only that our logical minds remind us that this isn’t possible to have a floating head twirling around that we know this isn’t real. 

There’s a bit of gore, as you would expect, but it’s so expertly done. Somehow this changes between gruesome to somewhat beautiful, with dance-like movements of fabric representing blood being pulled from bodies and embodying the air seemingly but itself and floating. It would be easy to try the shock factor with spatters of liquid but, in true keeping to the production’s essence, this is avoided but no less uncomfortable. You forever feel in this strange liminal space of not knowing what is truly real but also lulled into senses of security then intense fear. 

The puppetry movements are expertly done. Again, tricking us in trying to determine puppet or human, the movements of the puppets are so naturalistic, smooth and somehow, while completely in front of your eyes, hand placement and the use of a dense dark background, you hardly see the manipulation and it makes it all so much more realistic, effortless and continuing to confuse you in what is real. 

Dracula: Lucy’s Dream is every bit beautiful, gruesome and haunting. The production is a thing to behold, from how realistic it feels to the juxtaposition from the real and the false between human performance and expert puppetry. Not for the faint hearted but something extraordinary to be seen; a masterclass in puppetry theatre.