funny, and zany, with a lot of heart
OUTHAUS is charming and genuinely funny comedy about protecting green spaces. Switching between a live cabaret show with audience participation, and the backstage drama filled with political conflict and tensions within interpersonal relationships.
However, a lot of the world of the play left me very confused. There was a lack of clarity about what the setting of the play was – a pub or a green space, or both? -, who the characters were -plants, humans, or animals? -, and the rules of the dystopian world that these characters lived in was never fully established. However, if your ok with a bit of confusion, then embrace the bonkers-ness and you’ll be in for a great bit of entertainment about an important issue.
This play, that is set in an eccentric bar, was quite befitting staged in the charmingly quirky Kings Arms pub in Salford. This added an authenticity to the piece that wouldn’t be found in a traditional theatre setting. However, it would have been great to see this taken a step further, with the piece being staged in the actual bar area rather than a function room upstairs. As for the staging itself, it was wacky and fun: a mixture of garden and tip yard, with planted pots next to a graffitied toilet, adjacent to the glass bottle covered bar, floral wallpaper and a fake grass turf rug.
The casts performances were high energy, excelling most in their comedic moments. My personal comedic highlights were the unexpected hilariously filthy puppet show, and when they picked on my friend in the audience, popped a pigeon mask on her, and got her dancing on stage.
Kristoff (played by Joseph Roberts) was a standout performer, with great physical comedy, he was believably camp and fabulous. But he also held the serious moments with an authentic vulnerability. Georgie Cunningham was cheeky yet charming as Gina. Nicola Hardman played Miss Magnolia with passion and ferocity. Kate Carey transformed into such a realistic jack the lad as Dirt Bag. So much so that I didn’t realise that she was meant playing a drag king rather than an actual man. Alex Suzuki delivered a strong performance as Sunny. But he was sadly let down by the script in the second half, when he suddenly went from redeemable to an uncharacteristically sexist, cartoonish villain.
Overall, the second half was not a strong as the first. In contrast to the campy, satirical nature of the first half, it was far too serious in tone. I understand that this was done to try and hit home the political messaging behind the play, but I actually found that message much more impactful when it was delivered through humour.
What I do really commend about OUTHAUS is that it had heart. The passion and hard work that went into it really shone through. When doing some research on Tenderfoot Theatre (the production company behind OUTHAUS) I discovered that they are a an ecotheatre company made up of collaborative team of researchers, designers, and theatre-makers. Their mission is to create bold theatrical works about climate change, with sustainable practice embedded into all that they do. With this in mind, I am very excited to see what comes next from innovative team behind OUTHAUS.