Review: WHO SHOT WAYNE SLEEP?, The Vaults

Deep in the belly of the Vault Festival, among the dark-red lights, tinsel, and dingy vaudeville atmosphere, Who Shot Wayne Sleep? finds fertile ground but struggles for relevance. The smells of humid basement and aged liquor only heighten the cheap middle-aged entertainment that The Martini Encounter has to offer with their new cabaret show.

The ukulele-wielding Binkie and Maud - two unsuccessful actors - are accompanied by the mistreated and underappreciated magician Colin at the piano, and together they recall their unlucky paths to failure, which are scattered with murders (both accidental and not) and envy.

The trio's backgrounds and life stories are told in farcical good spirits through a selection of songs dominated by pop culture and musical theatre. However, the musical choices and the clichéd jokes and references work for an easy-to-please middle-aged crowd, but clearly deter too many, especially the younger audience in the room.

From the evergreen but overused "Cell Block Tango" from Chicago, through "Psycho Killer" by the Talking Heads and Jay-Z's "99 Problems", only to land on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the alcohol-led narrative fails to be truly original - each choice is predictable from the opening song onwards. The jokes are similarly stale, and the story lacks any surprising turns.

"I only drink to make other people interesting," muses Maud towards the second half of an empty 60-minute ride. Maybe alcohol is indeed what is needed to make this show alluring to the public, and that's why the bar is situated right before the designated room for the show...

Who Shot Wayne Sleep? runs at The Vault Festival until 26 February