The Thrill of It All

Synopsis

It's bright under the lights, and hot, and frightening. Nine performers in grubby tuxedos and tarnished sequins play out a comical and disconcerting vaudeville to the strains of Japanese lounge music. Forced Entertainment return with a large cast on a big stage, filled with ragged dances and distorted voices. Deranged dancing girls swirl, giggle, bicker and stray ever further from the point. Shabby comperes compete for the microphone and the audience’s laughter as the show itself slowly starts to unravel. Dances end in fights, jokes end in confusion and sentimental stories end in arguments in this unsettling and extraordinary performance. Devising work as a group through improvisation, experimentation and debate has made Forced Entertainment pioneers of British avant-garde theatre and earned them an unparalleled international reputation.

Our Review:

17 November 2010

Forced Entertainment live up to their name in their latest production, The Thrill of It All, driving you to levels of insanity by the time you are leaving the auditorium.

The main artists, led by director Tim Etchells, are recognised worldwide as being at the forefront of postmodern performance. Undoubtedly, some of their material reflects why they are so popular- the spontaneous comedy, the fragmentation of material, the feeling of being within a rehearsal space- and if you have studied them, you will appreciate at least thirty minutes of their latest two hour piece.

However, for a company that thrives off being one of a kind, they are producing material that has been seen before. Spectacular, for example, did have a significantly smaller cast and was far more minimal in design, but it was self-reflexive, pushed the boundaries of theatre and asked exactly the same questions to their ...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

No reviews yet

Click here to add your review