Voila! Europe 2019 Archives - Page 2 of 2

★★★½

“The comedic abilities of all three actors are phenomenal, finding potential for laughs in every moment”

When you think of stories that are ripe for a clowning-focused, fourth wall-breaking retelling, perhaps Tolstoy’s tragedy Anna Karenina doesn’t spring to mind. But for The Pushkinettes it did, and we should all be very grateful that it did because We Must Live is an absolute treat.

Formed of French, Israeli and Estonian performers, We Must Live sees these three clowns re-enact Anna Karenina ostensibly very seriously, although the knowing smirks that emerge when the audience starts laughing at the mishaps that befall the actors during their performance reveals this to be a gleefully light-hearted exploration of Anna Karenina’s themes of femininity, love, and sexuality through much more comic means, especially as the real-life worlds of the actors start to spill out into the performance.

The comedic abilities of all three actors are phenomenal, finding potential for laughs in every moment, while all having distinct personalities that shine through and make for engaging inter-relationships between them, and a hilarious clash of egos. One instance sees Anna’s soliloquy about Anna’s sexual liberation interrupted so that one actor can present a piece in which she emerges from a bin bag like a chick breaking out of its egg, accompanied by all manner of instruments. Another sees Anna’s journey through the snow turn into a snowball fight comprised of white Primark socks.

Parts such as this where it feels like the show is being derailed in the spur of the moment and you see the actors delight in the chaos they’ve discovered are absolutely glorious and create an atmosphere of pandemonium, albeit one that you feel the performers are in total control of, which makes it all the more delectable. Certain beats feel like they’re milked a little bit too much, and the opening few scenes lacked the freshness that the rest of the show possesses, but We Must Live is mostly a must-see.

Reviewed by Ethan Doyle

European Freaks

Rich Mix

Reviewed – 9th November 2019

★★

“Substituting substance for random acts of nudity or faux-malfunctions simply cannot cover the void that the performers’ lack of control over the show creates”

There’s a moment in European Freaks where one of the Euro-Humanoids threatens that if the committee of audience members on stage doesn’t make a decision within two minutes, the show will end. At least I think it was supposed to be a threat, although frankly it would have been relief for the show not to have spluttered on any further.

European Freaks, devised by Hungarian group Stereo Akt, is a view into what would happen if we tried to create a new version of the European Union. The four actors portray robots called Euro-Humanoids who are carrying out the experiment, although why they are robots and why they’re creating a new EU is never especially clear. There’s a huge amount of audience participation involved – a number of members are sat at special tables at the front adorned with fruit, wine, and water where they had to complete tasks such as coming up with a new motto for EU 2.0, and all the audience were involved in polls and live soundscapes that informed the show. However, the stars of European Freaks were five audience members who appeared to have been pre-selected to form a committee who spent a significant proportion of time on stage and having to undergo a number of challenges such as designing the EU’s new flag and anthem.

The voyeuristic aspect of watching non-actors grappling with these tasks on stage was hugely enjoyable, particularly when they had to tell personal and discomforting stories about themselves, which were illustrated live to excellent effect. However, the naturalism of these aspects were thrown off-kilter by the absurdist actions and reactions of the Euro-Humanoids, whose schtick wears thin exceptionally quickly. Substituting substance for random acts of nudity or faux-malfunctions simply cannot cover the void that the performers’ lack of control over the show creates – their ability to bounce off the contributions of the audience members and guide the narrative with any sense of structure is deeply lacking, encapsulated most vividly in an instance where one actor launching himself at one of the special tables knocked the jug of water on it onto an audience member’s lap. Sloppiness such as this destroys any level of trust that the audience can place in the performers and the story they’re trying to construct. Chances are European Freaks won’t leave you physically damp, but for all its bold ambitions, you’ll feel theatrically sodden by its end.

Rich Mix

Reviewed – 9th November 2019

★★★½

“The comedic abilities of all three actors are phenomenal, finding potential for laughs in every moment”

When you think of stories that are ripe for a clowning-focused, fourth wall-breaking retelling, perhaps Tolstoy’s tragedy Anna Karenina doesn’t spring to mind. But for The Pushkinettes it did, and we should all be very grateful that it did because We Must Live is an absolute treat.

Reviewed by Ethan Doyle

We Must Live

Rich Mix as part of Voila! Europe 2019

Last ten shows reviewed by Ethan Doyle:

Rich Mix

Reviewed – 9th November 2019

★★

“Substituting substance for random acts of nudity or faux-malfunctions simply cannot cover the void that the performers’ lack of control over the show creates”

Reviewed by Ethan Doyle

European Freaks

Rich Mix as part of Voila! Europe 2019

Last ten shows reviewed by Ethan Doyle: