Review: HOUSE OF LIFE, Soho Theatre

“What is happiness?”

House of Life is a work of theatre created by Sheep Soup that is, according to its description, “one-part sermon, one-part purge, three-parts party,” or, in simpler terms, a “travelling musical cult.” Walking into the Soho Theatre Upstairs, you are greeted by a bright and glittery backdrop, as well as a table full of instruments and mixing equipment, the perfect setting for a rave. A man dressed in a suit is handing out bracelets and he then takes to the stage, beginning the show with some instrumentals as the RaveRend takes the stage.

The RaveRend enters in a dramatic fashion, emerging from the glittering curtains to cheers. He is dressed in bedazzled clergy robes and his beard is completely covered in sparkles, glitter and all things shiny. He introduces himself and Trev, the man in the suit, who he apparently found and brought into the “House of Life” with him “to join the Rave-olution.” The opening song is an absolute banger and immediately puts audiences into the mood of dancing in their seats and singing along. 

According to the RaveRend, there are six steps to reaching Ascension, and we have already completed the first step by simply attending the show. We are going to be guided on our path by “a soundtrack to Ascension,” with vocals by the RaveRend himself and most of the instrumentals coming from Trev (along with some sick harmonies). As it is a form of a rave, there are lots of different bright lights and a lot of loud musical moments. There were times when the music got a bit too loud, giving me a bit of a headache when combined with the bright lights, which took a little bit away from my enjoyment of the show. 

The first real step we partake in during the show is “Rebirth,” where we are introduced to one of the main themes of the show - “Everything starts with the egg” - through a character named “Chicken Mummy” playing the saxophone. We are then taken to the third step, “Self-Esteem,” which begins with hyping Trev up after he has a moment in which he lacks self-confidence. Then, audience members who came to the show together give each other positive affirmations, telling one another what they love about the other person. 

As the only person who raised their hand when asked who came to the show alone, I was brought into the audience participation - a critic’s worst nightmare. The RaveRend pulled me into a hug and thanked me for my bravery, which I would argue I had none of with a bright red face and the body language of someone wanting to crawl into a hole and die. But my participation in the show was not over. After some crowd work that included everyone giving affirmations to one another, the RaveRend brought me on stage, repeating the affirmations “I am ready. I am strong. I am feeling myself like I never have before” as the audience yelled it back at me, the music blaring. Suddenly, the music dropped out and I was left on my own, stating these affirmations to a crowd of strangers. As the crowd repeated the words back to me, telling me that I was “ready” and “strong,” I genuinely felt incredible, like I could have taken on the world in that very instant.  

Once we’ve reached high levels of self-esteem, the RaveRend asks audience members to describe their dream lives, creating a song out of their dreams and encouraging everyone to have something to believe in. After these quite intimate moments, the RaveRend asks us to become one with our body as well as our minds, leading us in a dance that includes instructions like “Roll your pinky,” “Swing your earlobes,” “Wiggle your wenis” and “Nip your knee pit.”

However, as one might expect with hour-long Fringe shows, House of Life takes a dark turn, with the final step towards Ascension being “Purge,” in which audience members say what’s annoying them into a microphone before joining the RaveRend in a primal-like screaming session to release their anger. It is at this point that the RaveRend shows his humanity, breaking down over his own anger and falling apart in front of us. But, through the help of song and egg shakers, we are all able to comfort one another, sitting on the floor and gently singing a lullaby led by Trev. It’s a very sweet moment after a surprisingly intense bit of the show. 

Ultimately, House of Life is a beautifully joyful piece of theatre that will have you leaving Soho Theatre feeling a bit better about the world. The show definitely achieves its goal “to achieve absolute euphoric togetherness” - Sheep Soup has created a communal work that brings people together in order to share the joys of life without shying away from the more painful aspects. 

House of Life ran from 18 June - 6 July at Soho Theatre.

To post a comment, you must register and login.