Tag Archives: HighRise Theatre

Lil.Miss.Lady

★★★★

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Lil.Miss.Lady

Online

Reviewed – 23rd October

★★★★

 

“The fusing of electrifying lyrics, with impeccable delivery and an empowering story, was genius”

 

After a sell-out show at The Roundhouse and another outing at Latitude, this performance was brought to our homes as part of the Black Gold Arts Festival, in collaboration with Contact Manchester. Lil.Miss.Lady merges dramatic storytelling with rave in order to explore the immersive history of grime through the eyes of one female MC. The show was inspired by a series of interviews with influential women in the grime scene, such as Lady Stush, Lioness, Queenies, and Baby Blue. Starring Lady Lykez, Fahad Shaft, Westerfield Oreoluwa Ibikunle Shoderu, and Michael Mbozo.

Jumping into the virtual room, the audience were told to grab a drink, don some sunglasses, turn the lights off, and experience an at-home rave. Effectively, it was a mass zoom dance party. There was an initial DJ set, which merged grime history with ad-lib rapping, in order to immerse the audience into the world as well as the high-level energies to come. The form changed too, from karaoke to calling-upon audience members, to a full physicalising of the music. It was intoxicating. The music was also varied, filled with throwbacks and repetitive beats. Technicolour blared across the screen, and the tech team spotlighted members of the audience, dancing in their living rooms. This was a particular highlight, as it encouraged an interactive experience that felt uplifting and respectful. Another highlight was the roaming, hand-held camera, which allowed the audience to have a full, live, panoramic experience of the space as well as the facial expressions of the performers, through an intimate perspective. This made the performance far more personal, and for a moment, I forgot that I was sat in my kitchen. It also gave autonomy to the audience, who could choose their own viewpoint.

The crux of the action centred around a 2018 recording of Lil.Miss.Lady: her journey from football-loving teen, to teenage star, through fluctuating personal issues, to the present day. The eponymous character was played by the limitless Lady Lykez; the skill with which she oozed personality and emotion into the sheer poeticism of her lyrics was astounding. She encompassed every age, with authenticity and presence; I only wish that I had experienced it without the medium of a screen. There were some technical issues, but these were to be expected, and did not detract from the overall performance. However, what struck me the most was Little Miss Lady’s story; she not only made her name within the grime industry, but she also stood up to, and rose above her male counterparts. This was particularly clear in the scenes with Fahad Shaft, Westerfield Oreoluwa Ibikunle Shoderu, and Michael Mbozo. Their dynamics shifted and were infused with humour and familiarity, but it was their ultimate respect for LML’s talents that shone through. Gender power dynamics were removed, and artistry became the sole focus. This beautifully interwoven narrative marked the moment, for me, in which theatre and music met.

The fusing of electrifying lyrics, with impeccable delivery and an empowering story, was genius.

 

Reviewed by Alice Chambers

Photography by Camilla Greenwell

 

 

Lil.Miss.Lady

Online

 

 

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Review of Big Foot – 3.5 Stars

Foot

Big Foot

Stratford Circus Arts Centre

Reviewed – 5th October 2017

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

 

“Big Foot is a true passion project, breathing new life into theatre…”

 

Big Foot, and tiny little heart strings, danced its way through elation to grave sadness, whilst maintaining poise, humour and a genuine rapport with the audience. Joseph Barnes Phillips delivers a vibrant, vital and deftly silly performance. Journeying through the fluctuating thoughts and feelings of youth, exploring the importance and difficulty of maintaining your heritage in a relentlessly upgrading world, Big Foot was never heavy-handed, always handling its subject matters with care. Intensified by the fantastic work of the creative team – particular commendation must go to Andy Grange, whose lighting design is second to none – it is clear that Big Foot is a true passion project, breathing new life into theatre and its audiences.

Foot

Big Foot is teeming with different dialects, but the mass of tongues never became tangled within Joseph’s single body. The audience was invited to have curry on the way into the auditorium, and a later reference to his mum’s jollof, exchanged for a packet of Walkers crisps, humorously juxtaposed the specificity of origin with globalisation. Thanks to the slick direction of Dominic Garfield, and the authenticity of Joseph Barnes Phillips’ script, the voices of Joseph’s mother, girlfriend and the various fleeting supporting characters blended together in harmony, to create a true storytelling experience. Often beautiful spoken word, street slang, hip-hop, prayer and grime music formed a polyphonic symphony.

Foot

Although Big Foot deals with emotionally raw material, its most refreshing virtue was that it did not take itself too seriously. Occasionally, this meant it seemed a little too on the spot. One instance in particular, when Joseph disappeared behind a screen which he manoeuvred, only to reappear and stand on a letter block to dance freestyle, disrupted the flow of the action too much, and came across as a little self-indulgent. But for the most part, the shift from comic to tragic was spine-tingling. From answering a toy phone in his pocket, to taking his mum’s blood pressure, the changes in tone were elegant and mature.

Foot

Nik Corrall’s striking set of stuffed toys, scaffolding, a mannequin, strings of lights and a parasol was a treat to behold. Transporting the audience from a hospital, to a park at dark, to a nightclub, Max Pappenheim’s sound design bounced around the space in a constantly dynamic way to highly original effect. Andy Grange’s lights were the perfect combination of subtle and daring, marking changes of character and supporting the energy of the booming grime. The set, lights and sound amplified the quality of the production up to a creatively formidable piece of theatre.

Joseph established a rapport with the audience from the get-go, so the piece’s ending, involving direct audience participation, which built to a moving final note, was not at all gratuitous. Beginning and ending dressed as his mother, Big Foot encapsulated the turmoil of young grief in a joyful celebration of life. Vivacious, cool; and verging on brilliant.

 

Reviewed by Eloïse Poulton

Photography by Camilla Greenwell

 

 

BIG FOOT

is at Stratford Circus Arts Centre until 7th October

 

BLT-black

 

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