Theatre Review - Bangers
Danusia Samal in Bangers [Alex Brenner]
THE Arcola is the perfect venue for Danusia Samal’s garage musical which has already enjoyed runs at Soho Theatre and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
As we enter the auditorium, DJ and narrator Tanya-Loretta Dee spins some tunes, warms up the audience and introduces the two characters.
The story is slight, although it’s delivered with bags of charm. Featuring original music inspired by early noughties and present-day R&B and garage, we follow two strangers, Aria (Samal) and Clef (Jim Caesar), as they try to make sense of their past and embrace their future.
Pivotal moments are set against 10 tracks played by Dee, who also offers commentary on the action.
When 30-something Aria and her partner split up, she seeks refuge with her friend who is about to get married. As she ponders what went wrong, she recalls a schoolgirl crush and why she stopped singing after her music teacher behaved inappropriately.
Eighteen-year-old Clef plans to go to uni, but enjoys making music with his best friend Tone. He is still mourning the death of his father and harbours sexual feelings for Tone that he is unable to express.
Aria and Clef’s lives intertwine at a club night at the Ministry of Sound with Samal and Caesar playing the supporting characters.
As gig theatre it’s uplifting, but the 70-minute show ends abruptly, threads are left hanging and several themes could have been more fully explored. Nevertheless, Bangers speaks to a diverse audience, Samal’s rhyming dialogue is exhilarating, it’s beautifully performed and imaginatively staged by Chris Sonnex.
As an added bonus, catch Cardboard Collective’s fresh talent (aged 16-25) performing new music and spoken word after Bangers on Tuesday, August 6.
Until August 10