So, you think you’re cool?
A genre-defying and glorious rejection of traditional form
The stage is non-existent, you’re stood beneath the pseudo-stage lights and it seems as though you might be a part of the performance… So, what exactly is this?
The Populars is a genre-defying and glorious rejection of traditional form. Boldly creating its own rules, it looks to a divided future and questions whether or not we actually like what we see. Working to break down our own personal boundaries, we are confronted with the chance to form opinions without preconception. From Brexit to popularity contests, blue passports to Stevie Nicks: we become one and the same, likened through our differences and separated by our similarities.
The piece takes place in a brightly-lit room. Four charismatic performers move their way around us, bringing us into the spotlight and into the dance routine. It certainly makes for an uncomfortable prologue (and some quickly make their way for the door), but isn’t this exactly what theatre is about? Taking risks for the sake of narrative? Of course, with a piece like this there is a large degree of interpretation that must be undertaken for the show’s message to be unlocked, but the Volcano Theatre Company are mindful to implement a wide array of performance mediums in the pursuit of accessibility.
As we progress further into the experimental production, it becomes evident that the audience is not just immersed in the show, but is in fact an integral component within it. Our opinions are collated and incorporated into the mesmerising and fluid experience. Are you a Nowhere or an Everywhere? Do you think these trousers are cool? What do you like to dance to?
Dynamic, bold and triumphant in its execution, The Populars is a sweaty, sequin-fuelled and riotous analysis of what popular means in the political arena. Listening to what theatre ‘should’ be, Volcano Theatre Company promptly ignores it and dances to its own beat. This is promenade theatre at its finest.
