Review – Symphony of Strange

When being led into the venue — a secret location, one of the unused upper levels of the Tuxedo Cat — each member of the audience is offered a strip of wet flannel and a piece of dark chilli chocolate. It’s a bitter communion, and a fitting introduction to what turns out to be a ritual of heat and desiccation. The experience is immersive, as the percussion of fifty non-musical instruments resounds throughout the industrial space and sets a dry tempo for Gareth Hart’s shuffling performance dance.

This is intimate theatre that gives the audience subtle lease to participate in. You can revel in solitude, allowing Edward Willoughby’s balanced and ambitious composition to wash over you, or take a more inquisitive approach and discover all the (non-literal) easter eggs distributed throughout the space. Whatever attitude you adopt the show is a rewarding one which will leave you in a dazed and contemplative mood.