A clubland ceilidh that will make you feel alive
I think I need to attend more Irish funerals. There‘s more craic in WAKE than an episode of Derry Girls.
The beating of a bodhrán drum and the thump, thump, thump of Darude’s Sandstorm is enough to get you up on your feet and by God was the audience dancing. For a Wednesday night at the Peacock Theatre this sure felt like a Saturday night in Pacha Ibiza.
Produced by Irish theatre company THISISPOPBABY, WAKE is a riotous cabaret celebrating the ritual of the Irish wake and the modern ways in which tradition is embraced. It is an acrobatic amalgamation of the solemn overpowering of grief combined with the release of euphoria when you realise how alive you really are.
There is much to enjoy here, given there is essentially no plot other than taking place from dusk to dawn as the wake manifests further into a celebration of life. The performers enter the stage with varying degrees of ecstatic energy (and undress) and showcase physical, musical and spoken word skills woven with clever and fun audience interaction. We see astonishing displays of physical capability set to clubland classics such as Eurythmic’s Sweet Dreams, or Robyn’s Every Heartbeat. I enjoyed the striking visual aspects: a female performer on the aerial hoop with electric blue hair buns; a pole dancer in a skintight red outfit displaying feats of incredible core strength and flexibility; a dance troupe in monochrome stepping perfectly in time to a retro bassline. All of it felt exhilarating to watch. The cast is impressive.
The visual feats were paired with a mix of traditional live instruments including the accordion and fiddle, with live singers and a guitarist. Moments of stillness and contemplation were peppered through the proceedings with powerful spoken word poetry dealing with themes of death, grief and our place in society. At times the emotional whiplash was stark and it would have been nice to ease in and out of the sombre parts more gently. At one point I was softly crying, only to be confronted the next moment by what can only be described as some polka dot sleep paralysis demons dancing in a pink rubber bubble.
I would have liked to have seen at least some semblance of character development beyond the excellently named Duncan Disorderly, the wake’s optimistic 90s English DJ in a shiny pink shellsuit. Perhaps each performer could represent a family member, breaking off to tell their story and connection to the ritual through various mediums whether traditional (fiddle and accordion) or modern (00s drum and bass pole dance).
Part Celtic fever dream, part nightclub variety show, WAKE is infectiously joyful . Audience members were up on their feet dancing away (myself included). It is genuinely impossible not to smile in awe and happiness throughout the entire performance. I can imagine watching this on a Saturday night before heading out to party in the city. It’s a perfect kick start to nightlong festivities. Sláinte!
WAKE will run at Peacock Theatre in London until April 5, and then at Factory International’s Aviva Studios in Manchester from April 17-21.