Apocalypse @ Network Theatre, Waterloo

Last night, I ventured into one of my favourite hidden gem theatre venues in the capital, Network theatre, based just under Waterloo station. It is well tucked out of view, and those in the know are always in for a treat at this performance venue with its authentic and raw feel about it. Those who follow London's non west end treats should have Network bookmarked on their smart phones.

On the surface, Apocalypse appears like a cheesy musical romcom of absurd random events and unexplained characters on stage who we don't really know what their purpose is. Apocalypse the musical is a life tale of good versus bad coming of the end of the world and survival of the fittest.
The production transcends all types of characters such as nuns, whores, cows and a typical do gooder Charlie the milkman who the audience falls in love with at first sight and maintains that impression and performance throughout. Given the rawness of this production, one can clearly see the fringe quality and attraction for a bizarre and eccentric piece that would thrive on the Edinburgh scene.

The cows and their 'udder dance' proved to be comical and cheap entertainment that enthralled the audience and was the lighter touch to a life versus death debate. The piece was well interspersed with random themes and encounters, that it almost made the key components and messages of the piece more difficult to fathom. It was almost a moment of if someone asked me what this show was about, had I not researched reviews or read the programme, I would have been severely perplexed.

The typical theme that runs throughout is who would God choose and who would sit on Satan's side. God chooses Charlie the milkman who tries to spread the love or milk, however one would rank his milk of human kindness. Charlie encounters Natalie, the whore who sprinkles an injection of temptation and lucrative seduction into his life and almost gives him an appetite for the opposing dangerous side.

In terms of performance, vocally there was no-one who I could really pinpoint as standing out in the singing stakes. It almost feels like it is a cheap critique to be harsh on the vocals, when the cast excelled in physicality, characterisation and overall continuously omnipresence on the stage. Overall, I enjoyed the nun chorus sing-a-longs and felt the power of the group almost made up for individual solo pieces. No-one could fault the energy of the piece, especially the hilarious interludes of Tristan Varela who was by far a sterling performer from start to finish.

Next week: Monday 20 June: Taming of the shrew @ The Globe.