photo credit Johan Persson
IF You Kiss Me, Kiss Me is not something that you
can easily define. Part theatre, part gig, part dance, it's an hour
long show now on at the Young Vic.
Choreographed by Aletta Collins, and featuring a
company of dancers and a live band, it stars Jane Horrocks who looks
rather like a young Debbie Harry with her peroxide blonde hair and
commanding presence on stage.
The piece was conceived by Horrocks who grew up in
Lancashire and essentially it's a homage to the new wave music of the
1970s which she grew up with - that of Joy Division, Buzzcocks and
The Smiths among just a few.
There isn't much narrative. In fact the vast
majority of the hour long piece is just music and dancing with
Horrocks belting out her own gritty and soulful versions of the songs
that inspired her and that she clearly has a connection with.
She has a lovely voice but at times it gets lost
with the dancers who are at times a bit distracting as they cavort
around the stage. Sometimes they interact with her but a lot of the
time they don't and instead interact with each other. Then there a
fridge which is pushed on and off the set a few times though I'm not
sure quite what it was meant to signify.
The set itself is bare save for a huge plug at the
back on which Horrocks sometimes sits and the band who are mostly
kept at the back.
Sometimes this is a show that is successful and if
you like these songs then chances are you will like Horrocks'
interpretation of them. It's clear these are songs which mean a lot
to her but she doesn't get a chance to explain to the audience what
they mean to her.
It also feels as though it's being staged in the
wrong place with all the audience sitting down rather than on their
feet and dancing.
However, despite the loose ends, it is an
interesting idea for a show and a treat to see Horrocks back on
stage.
If You Kiss Me, Kiss Me is on at the
Young Vic, The Cut, Waterloo, until April 16. Visit www.youngvic.org
or call the box office on 020 7922 2922.
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