Lovebites

White Bear Theatre

Reviewed – 5th April 2018

★★★

“entertaining and consistently energetic”

 

Love is something we all experience and most likely associate strong memories with, both positive and negative. In this way, the universal theme of love is one that will resonate well with audiences. Theatretripp Productions presents the UK premiere of a song cycle, directed by Grace Taylor, telling seven different stories based around the whirlwind that is falling in and out of love.

The show is full of energy from the start, with the four actors bursting onto the stage to perform the opening number. They then begin to tell stories including that of a girl getting more than she bargained for on a first date that’s completely out of her comfort zone, an attraction between a bride and one of her wedding guests and an embarrassing scenario involving a toilet that won’t flush. These scenarios, amongst others, create a good level of laughter within the audience, who can no doubt relate to having been in similar awkward situations themselves.

In addition to an array of funny moments, the show contains stories that tug on the hearts strings. These particular stories are delivered with conviction by the actors, who prove they are able to switch between comedic and serious performances with ease. When not involved in a particular story, the actors are sat on the edge of the stage as if observing the action, alongside the audience, which works well.

As the actors take on more than one role each, a variety of different costume items and props are used to differentiate between characters. A lot of these are brightly coloured, which contrast perfectly against the otherwise colourless performance space.

Some of the individual vocals in the show could do with a little work, but the company should be commended for their emotion-fuelled performances, even if their vocals weren’t always as consistent as they could be.

Despite the small need for some vocal work, Lovebites is entertaining and consistently energetic. There are laugh-out-loud moments, as well as more touching moments, which results in an overall engaging show.

 

Reviewed by Emily K Neal

Photography by Pete Le May

 

Lovebites

White Bear Theatre until 21st April

 

 

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