LOVE BITES at the Hayes Theatre at the moment. Well, sometimes it bites, taking a large chunk out of your heart but at other times it just nibbles your ear and makes you love it. Toe tappers and heartbreak songs sit well together in this deceptively cabaret outing from Wooden Horse Productions.
Act One of the show opens with ‘Falling in Love’ and this is reprised in bookends at interval and the finale. The quartet (Kirby Burgess, Tyran Parke, Adele Parkinson and Shaun Rennie) make it very clear that there is to be no judgement about where the human heart will love. The final tableau of this intro gently reinforces to the audience that they are about to run the gamut of desire.
In a fairly typical cabaret style, there are nine songs presented before interval and these are loosely grouped together around the complex intertwining of human hearts. From solo ballads to upbeat well-choreographed tunes each song has distinct characters and setting. But it is Act two where the show takes a big bite out of your expectations. I won’t spoil the surprise but the ingenuity of the concept took a song or two to sink in. Kudos to Composer Peter Rutherford and Lyricist James Millar.
The songs are nicely placed to complement each other. The pelvic grabbing “The Captain’s Turned off the Seatbelt Sign” is contrasted well with the next song which is a wistful solo of real pathos, “A Single Poppy”. There is improvisation in aisles, audience involvement, coitus stuck on the back wall and hilarity in some places. The show has a go at the Church of Scientology and religion in general, it highlights depression and male/female sexual politics. Plus, there is a really, really sad song in the second act which had tears running down my face and my companions passing me tissues along the row. Luckily it does not overdo it because racking sobs were next.
Director Troy Alexander has found the truth in the narratives of the songs and has used movement and stillness well to counterpoint the individual stories. The choreographer, Ellen Simpson has allowed her cast to show both individual flair and how a well-rehearsed ensemble melds dance into comedic acting and singing. The four artists are energetic and engaging even on a Saturday night after a long week. There is real camaraderie here and it pours across the audience. They look happy in each other’s company and the final sing-along put their fine communal work on display.
Unfortunately, they were somewhat let down by the quality of the audio. Live sound mixing is very difficult and I believe there has been improvement during the run but too often the voices were overwhelmed by the band. Mind you, it’s a great band (Steven Kreamer and the Hickeys) but the loss of context when lyrics were swallowed by the piano was a shame. It was also a major talking point at interval. I especially missed hearing the patter song clearly.
Someone clearly loved costuming this show. So many lovely little touches that my party didn’t even notice are a tribute to costume designer, Becky-Dee Trevenen. Subtle audience clues like the apricot flowers on the bride’s dress that matched the boy’s shirt, the clever layering to facilitate underdressing, the predesign so that the beltpacks weren’t intrusive and especially the mirror of the logo and name on Harvey’s food delivery shirt. The set was nominal and minimal but it was the costumes that pulled the scenes together and eliminated any disorientation an audience might feel with the constant changes of scene.
This was a fun night out and I give it 5 red plastic bags!
LOVE BITES is playing at the Hayes Theatre, 19 Greenknowe Avenue, Potts Point until the 5th of October.