Review: VILLAIN, INTERRUPTED, VAULT FestivalMarch 20, 2023Villain, Interrupted is a fun show that gives the “villains” a chance to shine while also looking at the psychology in a world in which those who have powers are feared, separating the world into “us versus them”.
Review: CRIMINALLY UNTRUE: AN IMPROVISED TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY, VAULT FestivalMarch 20, 2023Criminally Untrue: An Improvised True Crime Documentary is a hilarious show that will leave you wanting more from PillowTalk Theatre. Oldfield and Treen have directed a fantastic cast of improvisers that will bring a little bit of “organised chaos” into your life, creating the crime story of the decade.
Review: FILM CLUB - AN IMPROVISED COMEDY, VAULT FestivalMarch 13, 2023Film Club - An Improvised Comedy is a show that may have been better with a more enthusiastic audience and a funnier genre of movie, as the “conmen thriller” really failed to get many laughs from the crowd. While the Film Club seemed enthusiastic, it also felt as though they failed to blend their characters together into a funny storyline.
Review: LA VOISIN, VAULT FestivalMarch 6, 2023La Voisin is a fantastic prototype of what could be an incredible show. I was in awe of the acting abilities of all four performers, who are each given their moments to shine. Becca Chadder weaves together the individual stories of each character, giving each of them their own motivations while illustrating their connections to one another.
Review: LOCOMOTIVE FOR MURDER: THE IMPROVISED WHODUNNIT, VAULT FestivalMarch 6, 2023Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit is a quick and funny show that will have you laughing at jokes made up on the spot. While the beginning of the show takes time to be established, especially when speaking with audience members in order to build the characters, the rest of the show flies by in an hour of delightful comedy.
Review: QUEER PLANET, VAULT FestivalMarch 6, 2023Queer Planet is a fun show that will leave audiences feeling proud to be a part of the strange species known as humanity. While it may not have had as many animal facts as I would have liked to see and a few strange guest performances, the show as a whole is delightful and a light of hope in this chaotic world.
Review: CALIGULA AND THE SEA, VAULT FestivalMarch 6, 2023Caligula and the Sea blew my expectations out of the water, pun fully intended. It is an incredibly well-crafted show that will leave you speechless in the best way possible. Director and producer Yuxuan Liu has created a tale for the ages. Everyone will adore Caligula - And isn’t that, in a strange way, what he wanted?
Review: MOHAN: A PARTITION STORY, VAULT FestivalFebruary 27, 2023Mohan: A Partition Story is a beautiful solo show by Niall Moorjani that is a brilliant mix of their own story in the 21st century and their grandfather’s story from the Partitioning of India. The live music by Dibyo Mukherjee only enhances the incredible storytelling Moorjani displays throughout.
Review: GONE TO THE DOGS, VAULT FestivalFebruary 27, 2023Gone to the Dogs is an interesting show, but difficult to understand at times, making it a struggle for me to fully enjoy what was going on on stage. It was tough to tell whether the performance was satire, poking fun at those who miss the “good old days” of England, or a genuine performance mourning the loss of what can only be remembered now.
Review: THEATRE OF GULAGS, VAULT FestivalFebruary 27, 2023Even with my desire to learn and my love for immersive theatre, the show was confusing and left me frustrated. It is one thing to have purposeful confusion, in which the audience is meant to question what they are seeing - It is another thing entirely when your audience has no idea what to do or how to even move on to the next scene.
Review: THE RENDEZ-VOUS REVUE, VAULT FestivalFebruary 26, 2023Ultimately, Rendez-Vous Revue is a fun show with some great performances that could be a little more cohesive. Sometimes the performances felt a bit low-energy, but that may have been solo performers being on such a large stage, only accompanied by loud music and the cheering audience.
Review: KATIE PRITCHARD: DISCO BALL, VAULT FestivalFebruary 26, 2023Katie Pritchard: Disco Ball is an absolute delight that will have you shaking from laughter, but it is also a powerful anthem to being yourself and not letting others tell you what to do. To quote Pritchard, “You’re a disco ball”!
Review: HILDEGARD VON BINGEN, VAULT FestivalFebruary 24, 2023Ultimately, Hildegard von Bingen is incredibly confusing and very unsatisfying for those hoping to learn more about the brilliant woman that Hildegard was. As someone who studied her music and her life, I was hoping to see a more psychological look at the woman, not images of Hildegard curled up in a ball muttering to herself.
Review: BEN VAN DER VELDE: FABLEMAKER, VAULT FestivalFebruary 22, 2023When taking moments to pause from laughing at the quick and witty jokes, I found myself in awe of how easily Van der Velde was able to take what appeared to be random characters and put them together, creating a story about an underground fight ring that was being run by “The Last Remaining Briton,” Richard.
Review: HOUSE OF BURLESQUE: POLITITS, VAULT FestivalFebruary 16, 2023House of Burlesque: PoliTITS is, to quote the host, Lolo Brow ('Better than Lolo Self-Esteem') about 'Our two favourite things - Tits and the end of the world.' The goal of the show is to celebrate the history of burlesque through the lens of news, but not all the news as, 'We have an hour. We cannot cover everything.'
Review: BOORISH TRUMPSON, VAULT FestivalFebruary 13, 2023Boorish Trumpson is fun for the clowning aspects but fails to deliver on the political side. If this show was meant to give me the sense of frustration and confusion of the Boris and Trump era, it met its goal. I left Boorish Trumpson just as confused as I was by the time Trump and Boris themselves left office.
Review: POLICE COPS: BADASS BE THY NAME, VAULT FestivalFebruary 11, 2023Tommy Dixon is an ordinary man who wants to live an extraordinary life. He’s a telemarketer for a magazine company about tall things, his dad left him and his mother alone, and his stepfather talks to him with his butt. But Tommy’s life changes when he meets Father Badass, a priest at St. Bartholomew with a big secret - He’s a vampire hunter.
Review: VAULT FESTIVAL BIRTHDAY BASH, VAULT FestivalJanuary 30, 2023On Friday, January 27th, the VAULT Festival hosted its own VAULT Festival Birthday Bash, a 4 ½-hour party in The Flair Ground at The Vaults to celebrate the festival’s “decade of bold and original live performance.” The show’s description promised “breathtaking burlesque” and “outstanding circus” as well as a “Drag sensation” host, Rhyss Pieces.