Friday, December 5

Tag: Ben Welch

House of Life – Soho Theatre
London

House of Life – Soho Theatre

Mad, glitzy and totally camp, what a glorious night of theatre House of Life is. A silly show with heaps of heart, The Raverend (Ben Welch) and Trev (Laurence Cole) take their audience on a journey of joyous enlightenment through a 6 step plan to get happy quick.  Mad as a concept, the performance is less of a story and more of a cabaret-come-religious-experience, with glorious concoction of house, gospel and a cracking set of pipes (the Raverend in particular knocking it out the park vocally every time). Attacking the audience's insecurities with mantras of radical self love, honesty and community, House of Life’s great success is that it leaves no audience member un-nurtured. Chickens often the theme - an unsubtle metaphor for rebirth - we are offered egg-maracas (as well as f...
Cinderella – Everyman Theatre
North West

Cinderella – Everyman Theatre

More pop panto than rock ‘n ‘roll with hits performed live by its talented cast. Does well to send out all the right messages but at the sacrifice of its charm through its inflated sense of self-awareness.    Our tale begins with the sassy Cilla Black of Fairyland, Dame Fairy Godmother (Ben Welch), aka the DFG, who emerges holding a red heart shaped balloon reminiscent of Banksy’s ‘Girl with the Balloon’, the significance of which, new hope and love, is a taste of things to come with this journey of self-love and acceptance.   Along with successor and apprentice, ‘our Graham’, (comfortably played by natural panto veteran Adam Keast), our matchmaker DFG heads over to the Ooglay’s where they find Ellanora (Grace Venus), whose life resembles that of Cinderella - who ...