Reviewer: Daniel Shipman
Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
At first glance, a one-hour performance which claims to cover the disparate topics of bananas, capitalism, masculinity and King Kong might seem to be lacking focus a little (or a lot). The genius of Kingdom – from Barcelona-based theatre company Señor Serrano – is that these topics soon begin to seem like totally logical bedfellows.
Using a live-feed camera, a keyboard, a guitar, some microphones and a huge variety of props, the five performers create ‘cinema-in-real-time’ which is then projected on the back wall of the stage. This provides fertile territory for humour; stray limbs pass through otherwise serious shots, and bananas appear at every possible juncture. These cinematic sequences are interspersed with banana-based songs which zip through English, Spanish and Chinese lyrics seemingly at random but are always enjoyable.
The only significant downside is that viewing angles for this feat of theatrical ingenuity are highly restricted from the stalls. Whilst audience members in the circle can see what is being filmed to create the live footage, those in the stalls are confined to only seeing the resulting footage and are consequently left feeling a little excluded at times.
Despite this minor niggle, most of Kingdom manages to achieve that all too elusive balance of interesting and entertaining. Occasional sections don’t manage to achieve either, but luckily the short running time ensures that better material is always just around the corner. The show pulls out some genuinely interesting historical nuggets, frames them in intelligent ways and yet never once comes anywhere near being dry or dull.
Just once you think you’ve worked out the formula for this show, the company pull the rug from under you and end with an increasingly intense, almost ritualistic dance routine, accompanied by loud dance music, smoke and confetti cannons. You will leave the theatre wanting more. And also wanting a banana.
-Daniel Shipman
Kingdom runs at HOME Manchester until Saturday 13th April.