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The Hideout

 
James Beagon Review by James Beagon 3 Published: 13 Aug 2015 C venues - C nova Show Dates: 5 Aug 2015-31 Aug 2015

Haste Theatre’s new take on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur is one full of charm and humour. The narrative, however, gets a little bit lost in the Labyrinth.

The Hideout is a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon of light-hearted entertainment.

The adaptation is reset in a shady 1920s establishment where the gods Dionysus, Hades and Aphrodite decide to retell the story of the Minotaur in their own unique way. The three of them are excellent at interacting with their audience. Elly Beaman-Brinklow particularly stands out as a lecherous and manic Hades. She and Jenny Novitzky (Aphrodite) also provide an elegant tap-dance number in an intriguing portrayal of the Minotaur. A lot of the show is played for laughs, which works fairly well. The slight farcical nature of Theseus and Ariadne’s relationship in the myth is played on, as well as more basic humour: Sophie Taylor’s Theseus is played with a consistently amusing lisp.

The play suffers, however, when the gods decide to tinker with the original story and it’s not really clear why. Initially intriguing, we end up treated to a confrontation between Theseus and Ariadne on-board a ferry to France, with proceedings just ending with an awkward apology from the gods. Deliberate or not, it’s a bit anticlimactic and undermines the enjoyable performance that preceded it. There were also a couple of issues with vocal projection and, save the dance routine, it’s not certain why everything is set in the 1920s bar, despite the fact that it’s a fairly marketable aesthetic.

The Hideout is a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon of light-hearted entertainment. It perhaps lacks a bit of substance, but still holds much appeal.

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The Blurb:

Theseus and the Minotaur meets the 1920s. The Gods of ancient Greece spend their nights in Aphrodite's boudoir, looking for entertainment by playing with the lives of mortals below. But have they bitten off more than they can chew as they meddle with a headstrong Ariadne, a courageous Theseus and a Minotaur that needs defeating? A heady fusion of clown, live jazz, dance collides with Greek Mythology and the Kit Kat club. Award-winning play. The San Diego 2014 Outstanding World Premiere winner. 'Fantastical, inventive, funny ... a must-see' (San Diego Reader).