Review – Loaded Heart

When I saw the description for this show as ‘physical theatre’, I immediately thought, ‘ooooh, circus!’. In delighted glee, I skipped along to Harry’s Bar for a preview performance of Loaded Heart.

I was confused for the first 5 minutes when the cast of 8, stood in a line and moved their arms slightly in a coordinated way to music. Assuming that was purely an introduction and that the hula hoops would come out soon, I opened my mind to what was in store for the next hour.

The director took this general path: Young people want to have fun and write themselves off at a young age – ‘live fast, die young’. Then they grow up a bit and realise life isn’t about getting plastered every weekend. They reassess, redirect their lives and ultimately search for meaning and companionship.

So not particularly groundbreaking.

That general plot line was broken down into dances – dances to entire popular songs that were interpreted quite literally. There was a lot of fake crying and fake orgasming. It was awkward and long.

You could tell the performers had rehearsed for months, they were into it, they believed in it and everything was professional and tight. Sadly for the cast though, the storyline and direction left an audience bored and wanting. The shock value was there, but it wasn’t enough to pull it through.