I sampled another 3 which are available online till 31 January.
Bard Overboard links on Zoom a disgruntled cruise ship staff with their invisible Wonderland Cruises PR, legal and corporate affairs bosses who are trying to make a promotional video to get post Covid weary customers to book again.
As the crew are in quarantine, at sea in an unknown location , they don’t feel inclined to play ball and in the end sabotage the company’s uncaring approach to staff welfare. It sounds deeply dark but actually it’s quite funny – especially a luvvie actor who attempts to find motivation in his character and dialogue. Worth a watch.
Strangers, by Stage Write Productions, sucks us into a very different kind of “ cruising “ when a late middle-age man sits down opposite a much younger woman in a pub.
I’m going to avoid any spoilers here, which is quite difficult but suffice it to say that she makes an indecent proposal to him , involving £150 and he accepts.
What follows is truly horrific and life-changing for both of them. Filmed separately, the storyline demands intimacy which the two camera angles can’t quite pull off, and at times the dialogue is more awkward than the situation and can descend into triteness. That said, it draws you into its worst-case scenario and like the 2 characters, you don’t feel you can escape.
The 3rd offering I fell upon is The Meat Cabaret, by Slap ‘N’ Tickle Theatre Company – a truly bizarre piece of semi-musical performance that starts with a woman influencer on her site to demonstrate what she describes as “ a sexy showgirl look “.
She’s soon interrupted online by a spooky, lecherous cabaret MC full of innuendo and leering looks who introduces us to two cabaret girls , whose singing and dialogue leave little to the imagination. The clever twist is that the talk is actually all about meat, flesh, rump, sinews, breast. So is this ultimately a vegan propaganda vehicle or a feminist crie de coeur ? Difficult to say.
Watch all of the above and check out the other shows that are available at online.thespaceuk.com