Nosferatutu or Bleeding at the Balletis a highly entertaining, laugh out loud piece of original cabaret theatre. Flipping in the blink of an eye from comedy to macabre tragedy, from slapstick to musings on the lonely futility of an eternal life, with tongue firmly in cheek at all times.
We meet Nosferatu, of the 1922 German vampire film origins, as Kevin, a some 400 odd-year-old vampire with a thwarted lifelong passion for dance, most specifically ballet. Whilst attending a solo performance of Swan Lake (yes, you heard right), Kevin, played by Tommy Bradson, forgets himself, rushes on stage, and attacks the unfortunate dancer, a delightfully bloody Brandyn Kaczmarczyk. Even though he acknowledges that the performance was a travesty and that he has done the audience a favour, Kevin now feels somewhat obliged to finish the performance and, from there, the fun begins.
Describing himself variously as the "the postulant zit on the cheek of prom night" and "as popular as gastroenteritis on a Bangkok buck's night", Kevin clearly has some self-esteem issues, but he forges on bravely and the audience is treated to a manic night of Swan Lake.
Joining Bradson's Kevin on stage is actor, and director of the show, Sheridan Harbridge and, together, they treat the audience to various renditions of popular dance-themed songs such as Irving Berlin's Let's Face the Music and Dance, and Let's Dance, by David Bowie, as well as dual versions of I Could Have Danced All Night, memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Nosferatutu or Bleeding at the Ballet may be disguised as fairy floss and a bit of nonsense, but it is very cleverly written and performed by Tommy Bradson, who manages to be both side-splittingly funny and heart-wrenchingly touching in a no-holds-barred performance. Sheridan Harbridge is hilarious as the terrified usherette, roped in to help, and we 'could have listened to her sing all night', completely delightful. A three-piece band, consisting of piano, violin, and cello, providing a soundtrack to mayhem, under the musical direction Stephen Kreamer, with production design by Ashisha Cunningham and lighting by Alexander Berlage.
He may be an epic loser with a dream, but Kevin the vampire shows us anything is possible if you're hungry enough, so watch out for this delicious show and gorge yourself.
Reviewed by Petra Schulenburg, Friday 22nd June 2018.