The Bizarre Hour - Almost Live - Spaniel In The Works Theatre Company
Ever wondered how to kill a Chinese vampire? No, I hadn't neither. That's not to say that a kid-like insistence to know exactly how didn't surface, though - and John Bassett enlightened us all with admirable zeal.
Emanating Mad Uncle vibes, John stalks up and down the stage, gesticulating wildly between clicks on his laptop and adjustments of the sound deck. Perhaps, the audience thinks, he might have benefitted from a technician or an assistant, if only to enable his effervescent energy to exert its full impact on everyone in the room. Certainly, though, the computer stands not only as a cumbersome necessity, but as a game in itself - enter Six Degrees of Wikipedia.
An activity not traditionally synonymous with entertainment - extensive Wikipedia trawling - becomes an utter delight; we travelled all the way from Hell Hounds, through Babylonian Folklore, foraying briefly into Playboy, and then finished with a flourish (and considerable sense of achievement) at Donald Trump. Admittedly, this is something that lends itself equally to the armchair as the Subscription Rooms - but the addition of a room full of strangers waggling their arms and a continuous stream of witty patter adds a certain je-ne-sais-quoi. I'd pay for that.
For anyone who's into history, politics, engineering, philosophy, literature, theology, music, International Relations, or, well, anything really - this show is a treat. Encore!
Oh, and a hint about the vampires: it's rice.
Written by Grace Spencer
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