Search

Saved articles

You have not yet added any article to your bookmarks!

Browse articles

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

Des Kapital: Never Mind the Cossacks!

 
Julia French Review by Julia French 4 Published: 7 Jun 2017 Sweet Waterfront 2 Show Dates: 29 May 2017-4 Jun 2017

Some people might think that setting the Battle of Stalingrad to Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time is somewhat trivialising the matter. On the other hand, who's to say that the most appropriate tribute to two million deaths isn't a super catchy pop song?

This is a brilliantly conceived and cleverly written show that is sneakily educational

Andy Thomas is a History teacher. I imagine that he sat down one day and thought that people didn't know enough about the history of the Soviet Union. So he put a show together to remedy this and he made it a musical. I feel that this was a good choice. Bursting on to the stage in red dungarees and red wig, proudly sporting the flag of the Soviet Union, he launches straight into a detailed chronology, set to songs with a supporting slide show. After all, it wouldn't be a lesson without a PowerPoint.

We are treated to Britney twice as Leon Trotsky is described in Toxic. Plenty of nice little snippets cover the politics of the 1920s and the agricultural policy is sung by the audience to Madonna's Like A Virgin before being contrasted to Mao's agricultural policy with the dreary Smith's Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now. My favourite song of the night closed the proceedings with another all party sing-song of Robbie Williams' Angels. If you can hum the tune now and insert the words “and through it all he offers Marx direction, spelling and correction, whether he's right or wrong. I'm reading Engel's instead”.

This is a brilliantly conceived and cleverly written show that is sneakily educational. Perhaps it could be described as a little too niche but the audience joyfully joined in and if they weren't comrades to start with they certainly left both more informed and more radicalised. 

Related to this article:

Location:

Performances

The Blurb:

Communist crooner Des Kapital (‘Gulag’s Got Talent’, 'The ex-Soviet Republic Factor’) is ‘glasnost all over’ to present the history of the Soviet Union using the music of Taylor Swift (‘Blank State’) Ed Sheeran (‘Sinking Out Loud’) Katy Perry (‘Perestroika Hurls’) Robbie Williams (‘Engels’) Madonna (‘Lands were Virgin’) and many more! Hilarious and weirdly educational, entertaining and tragic. The whole history in one hour. With comedian and history teacher Andy Thomas. “He’s good. What’s his name? And address?" (V. Putin).