On Thursday night we sat and watched ‘Dracula in Space’, leaning forward, and grinning from ear to ear, feeling freedom in being a part of the world these four generous artists have created along with choreographer, Pix. With an improvisational edge and a pleasure to play, Ezme Gaze, Bertie Anderson, Mitch McGugan, and Oliver Izod are Bowjangles- classically trained musicians who’ve exploded into theatre. A word of warning whilst reading this, we may have got carried away with the puns…
‘Off the bat’, it has to be said that this is what theatre is all about! ‘Bloody’ brilliant, fun, thoughtful, and enticing. The story quite literally blasts off into space to meet a mysterious benefactor, but there is a rich undertone of warmth and ease from the cast that transports us through topics including the pandemic, sexism, Brexit, all the while never appearing to lecture us. Instead, they pamper us with honest humour and heart (aka Dracula’s most favourite organ). That’s the power that this company brings. Their energy can lift us up as much as they seem to lift themselves, and as long as theatre lifts our spirits then we’ve more head- ‘space’ to connect and deal with aspects in our own lives. Looking around we saw an audience ranging from juniors to the elderly, all smiling and invested. This coming together made us (and I’m sure many others) feel a bit more connected having left the Playground Theatre, which is what we all need lately. A huge thank you to everyone involved.
Bowjangles play their instruments with incredible discipline, and these instruments skilfully double up to become the ship’s control panel, and pretty much anything else they can think of! It’s a joy to watch. Their last performance at the Playground this week is Friday 30th at 7:30, so book if you want a fun evening!
It was lovely to meet the team- and may we keep a chat going to support each other in the future. Keep having fun and being wonderful Fringe winners! Thank you to The Playground Theatre for continuing the hard work to support artists and get shows on the road!
Written by graduating BA Actor at Drama Studio London Reece David
