In most cases, live music improves and energises a production. Music has a unique way of cutting right to the soul, almost always emotionally affecting its audience. Chronic Insanity’s Horrorshow is an exception to that assumption. Branded as a piece of ‘gig theatre’, Horrorshow follows two lads, Dan and Ollie, as they attempt to sell a bag of weed at a music festival. There’s also a romantic plot, as Dan’s feelings for Ollie progressively come to light.
Significant flaws run throughout this production. The text suffers from cliché, ending with a classic coming-of-age “where am I now?” section that quickly descends into a ball of cringe. Although the plot admittedly moves quickly, I was certainly never bored, this comes at the expense of any kind of meaningful character development. Instead, we are gifted the classic pre-moulded archetypes: a teenager attempting to be cool and his nerdy best friend.
Whilst one may hope the ‘gig’ element brings about some kind of distinctive character, the music here is largely forgettable, with generic lyrics to match. Admittedly, some of the musical issues are beyond the cast’s control. The venue’s sound design restricts any kind of rock ’n’ roll. Playing on an electric drum kit, the tapping of rubber is louder than Joe Strickland’s actual drum sound effects, whilst the muffling of microphones renders many lyrics incoherent.
Commendably, the cast deliver this messy material with immense gusto. Joe Matty as Ollie is undeniably the standout, bringing buckets of awkwardness to his nervous character whilst slowly transforming as he comes into his own skin. Yet it all feels a little over-directed. At no point do I believe these are characters making decisions in the moment. The constant miming of props, and direct address that breaks scenes’ momentum, both contribute to this lack of authenticity.
Horrorshow is not the adrenaline-filled music spectacular I hoped it would be. There are aspects of a music festival that are reflected in this show, but think mud, broken tents and portaloos; not Blur or the Pyramid Stage.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
