As the audience entered the Bosco Theatre, we were enchanted by a solo guitar player (Tim Carp) on stage. With Spanish, Indian, and many other world influences in the music, it set the scene for
Magical, sexy, funny and unforgettable.
The Embers Collective had teamed up with Stumble Trip theatre to create an experience none of us would ever forget. From the very beginning Rixy (played by the dynamic Sam Rix) embraced things that did go wrong before he came on stage (like ripping the front of his trousers by accident when doing warm up stretches). With style and wit, he made it all part of the comedy introduction. By doing this, it raised the tone for the whole show to something that was cheeky, raucous, and extremely perverted in the best possible way, even when he did the standard trigger warnings, and gave the children who were in the audience a chance to leave before everything began. He then embarked on a vibrant and energetic journey focusing on a very unlikely hero and a rather unusual villain. Rixy kept everyone engaged with his use of magic in his words and skilful way of making sure everyone was included in the story.
This was followed swiftly by Stumble Trip Theatre founders Grace Church and Chloe Young. In complete contrast, they provided a fun twist in the proceedings with physical clowning, sharp mirroring in fast actions, and a touch of risqué humour as they portrayed the story of a woman who was fed up with performing the same actions every day alongside her husband. Until one night, when everything changed for her forever... to find out what happened next, see if you can catch this show on tour. Church and Young had a chemistry which showed trust, respect, and joy in all they did. Their physicality brought something special to all they did as they explored the Pagan roots of their tale, before they then teamed up with Rix for the final story, combining all their talents together.
With all these energies combined, Wild Tales for Weird Folk was an experience that was magical, sexy, funny, and unforgettable. Well worth watching to switch off entirely from the world to forget your troubles for an hour.
