Review: OUTHAUS - King's Arms, Salford (11/01/26)

Energetic eco-cabaret has plenty of heart, but lacks fluidity

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I think it's fair to say that, as far as the most pressing global hot topics go, protection of the environment, for many of us, would top that list without a second thought. This is certainly true of independent eco-theatre company Tenderfoot, as they present an inventive, highly eccentric, albeit rough and ready homage to the diminishing English greenery, with particular focus on more urban and built up areas. The cast of five, all contrasting hugely from one another, but with equal duty in telling the story, present confidently their unique interpretation of where we're heading as a society, through the setting of a quasi dystopian future.

Tenderfoot Theatre (credit: Tenderfoot)

They're living in a concrete jungle, the natural world is banned by law, and green spaces are dying out; enter the "OutHaus", an underground green club intent on spearheading the fight to keep nature alive through song, dance and cabaret. Addressing the audience directly, as the sort of 'Hermes' of the group, we have Kate Carey, our resident drag king by the name of Durt Bag. Portrayed as a street poet with no shortage of swagger, Carey effortlessly slips in and out of our story as necessary, in order to keep us, the audience, up to speed with proceedings. There is a distinct separation between our representational action and the cabaret acts, the latter of which regularly break the fourth wall, directly involve the audience, and make us feel like we are a part of their world.

And although the notions and themes explored have all the hallmarks of essential viewing, one couldn't help but detect a sense of disintegration. This stems largely from Daniel Vernon's disjointed direction that left us with a plethora of missed opportunities, which was especially prevalent in the second act, during which it felt like a lack of transitional refinement too often took us out of the story. For instance the production made use of a decent-sized TV monitor on the front of the bar, which was used once throughout the two hour runtime, it simply baffled me why Vernon and videographer Chrissie Handley didn't make more prominent use of this.

Alex Suzuki, Georgie Cunningham and Kate Carey (credit: Tenderfoot)

What this piece lacks in fluidity though, it more than makes up for with its unbridled heart and certitude, and though not every acting performance is fully convincing, there are no uncertainties about the message being communicated. Most notably, Nicola Hardman as anarchic, outspoken queen of the castle Magnolia is by far the most compelling figure, a wonderful, charismatic cabaret performer, yet brash and no-nonsense behind the scenes, but always makes it clear how much she cares about the club, and for the wider battle for the planet.

Overall this was a mishmash of potentially terrific but, ultimately, rather half-baked ideas that didn't necessarily work together cohesively. That, however, doesn't mean this wasn't both entertaining and thought-provoking in equal measure, as I left the venue with plenty to think about, as well as a catalysed sense of why fringe is such a boon to the wider theatre industry. It may not always be particularly refined, but the lack of commercial filter with which one has to work often leads to the most authentic, raw storytelling you're likely to see on stage; Tenderfoot Theatre have undoubtedly hit this brief.

★★★☆☆ (3*)

Head over to Tenderfoot Theatre's website to find out more about what they do.

{PR/Gifted ticket}