Rogues' Gallery's The Folk Contraption at VAULT Festival
We bloody loved it.
Review
Itchy loves VAULT festival. It reminds us of a mix of the best bits of
Bristolian bohemia and Edinburgh Festival. Hidden away in the Old Vic
Tunnels, a new performance space using disused areas of Waterloo
Station, this brand new festival got off to a great start.
Having been overwhelmed with choices, Itchy eventually decided that we wanted to see Rogue Gallery’s Folk Contraption, which was described as "An album of short plays with music. A beautifully ramshackle night filled with storytellers, folk-musicians and a whole heap of city lore."
Itchy is apprehensive at best when it comes to theatre - we've seen things you wouldn't dream of (including a man doing an actual poo on stage... don't ask!) and consider the blurb in the programme to often be far from the thing you actually see in front of you on stage - but boy did The Folk Contraption deliver.
We were led into a large intricately decorated warehouse room with cushions on the floor. (Itchy recommends you shotgun a cushion ASAP on entering... the floor's rather hard.) Three men with guitars were jamming to one side of us, another bloke was attempting a tarot reading... we're happy to confess, we panicked. Scarred from a particularly bad memory of a production of Hair at University that involved audience participation, we braced ourselves for awkwardness. But, praise the lord, there was no need.
The troupe of (beautifully costumed) performers led us through a series of... we don't know what to call them. Not sketches, not scenes... moments. A series of moments, bound together by the thread of London. From tales of the Underground to a conversation about dragons, each performance was fresh, bright and uncontrived. The beautiful songs with intricate vocal harmonies accompanied by ukuleles, guitars and violins mesmerised us. The ensemble worked impeccably well together, fully supporting each other throughout, allowing for fluid delivery and a brilliant cohesiveness.
Itchy's favourite moments were not planned - the trains rushing past, causing the tunnels to echo and rumble dramatically, always at what seemed to be the perfect time to emphasise the lines being uttered. Here is a company who have considered the space and created a piece that fits in it perfectly - a rare feat.
A couple talked about statues coming to life, a series of characters sang an ode to Transport For London and another guy did a monologue about a bloke who looked like Charles I... We'll admit, we didn't quite "get" it all - what does a spider have to do with it all, and why did one girl seem to get all the monologues? - but it didn't seem to matter. They captured something indescribable... (we would try to now describe it, but... yeah, we can't... obv.)
We wish they were doing a longer run so that the whole of London - hell, anyone who's ever even just set foot in the capital - could see it. If you get the chance, pop down to Old Vic Tunnels over the weekend to see this gem of a show. You won’t regret it.
The Folk Contraption runs 16-19 February and VAULT Festival continues until 26 February. Visit the VAULT website for more information and tickets.
Having been overwhelmed with choices, Itchy eventually decided that we wanted to see Rogue Gallery’s Folk Contraption, which was described as "An album of short plays with music. A beautifully ramshackle night filled with storytellers, folk-musicians and a whole heap of city lore."
Itchy is apprehensive at best when it comes to theatre - we've seen things you wouldn't dream of (including a man doing an actual poo on stage... don't ask!) and consider the blurb in the programme to often be far from the thing you actually see in front of you on stage - but boy did The Folk Contraption deliver.
We were led into a large intricately decorated warehouse room with cushions on the floor. (Itchy recommends you shotgun a cushion ASAP on entering... the floor's rather hard.) Three men with guitars were jamming to one side of us, another bloke was attempting a tarot reading... we're happy to confess, we panicked. Scarred from a particularly bad memory of a production of Hair at University that involved audience participation, we braced ourselves for awkwardness. But, praise the lord, there was no need.
The troupe of (beautifully costumed) performers led us through a series of... we don't know what to call them. Not sketches, not scenes... moments. A series of moments, bound together by the thread of London. From tales of the Underground to a conversation about dragons, each performance was fresh, bright and uncontrived. The beautiful songs with intricate vocal harmonies accompanied by ukuleles, guitars and violins mesmerised us. The ensemble worked impeccably well together, fully supporting each other throughout, allowing for fluid delivery and a brilliant cohesiveness.
Itchy's favourite moments were not planned - the trains rushing past, causing the tunnels to echo and rumble dramatically, always at what seemed to be the perfect time to emphasise the lines being uttered. Here is a company who have considered the space and created a piece that fits in it perfectly - a rare feat.
A couple talked about statues coming to life, a series of characters sang an ode to Transport For London and another guy did a monologue about a bloke who looked like Charles I... We'll admit, we didn't quite "get" it all - what does a spider have to do with it all, and why did one girl seem to get all the monologues? - but it didn't seem to matter. They captured something indescribable... (we would try to now describe it, but... yeah, we can't... obv.)
We wish they were doing a longer run so that the whole of London - hell, anyone who's ever even just set foot in the capital - could see it. If you get the chance, pop down to Old Vic Tunnels over the weekend to see this gem of a show. You won’t regret it.
The Folk Contraption runs 16-19 February and VAULT Festival continues until 26 February. Visit the VAULT website for more information and tickets.
Tags
what's on |
unusual |
to do |
ticket |
theatre |
performance |
folk |
festival |
recommended |
London |
