Lie Collector, The Vaults – Review

Pros: Hilarious, creative and just outright bonkers.

Cons: Needed a bit more direction in parts.
Lie Collector, The Vaults – Review

Summary

rating

80

Excellent!

A superb, laugh-out-loud riot of a show!

When you know you’re getting up at 06.00am to go to gym, seeing a show that only starts at 9.15pm the night before is never a good idea. If truth be told, I just wasn’t in the right headspace for this show. However as soon I arrived at the incredible Vaults Festival, hidden underneath Waterloo station, my interest was pricked. The staff were super friendly, the art hanging on the walls was sublime, the bars were pumping, the audiences coming out of the various rooms were smiling and the buzz throughout the venue was electric. I can honestly say that this is the most unique and creative space I’ve ever visited within London.

I’d come to review the one woman show, Lie Collector, and as soon as the fabulous star, Yve ‘Rainbowshark’ Blake, stepped onto stage dressed in a jacket covered in 80’s trolls, I knew I was in for a treat. My bad mood became a distant memory.

Lie Collector is a sublime musical celebration of all the lies we tell each other on a daily basis. I’d be lying if I told you this show wasn’t good. See what I did there? The interesting thing behind the lies that Blake reveals, through various guises and hysterical costume changes, is that they are all stories collected from strangers. So far over 1000 people in 154 cities have logged onto Blake’s online ‘confession booth’ (get involved at www.whowerewe.com) and submitted lies. The cabaret star then syphons off said lies and turns them into hilarious songs. It’s comedy gold.

From flatmates stealing pizza to a woman faking a UTI, the anecdotes that flow over this show are genuinely “LOL” hilarious. A personal highlight has to be the song around the lies we tell kids and that Sharknado is actually real, so kids best get to bed to ensure they’re not eaten! As Blake acted out both the parent and the terrified wide eyed child, I honestly thought I was going to fall off my chair. The sharp lyrics, composed by Blake herself and Scott Quinn, are stellar and beautifully directed by musical composer Alex Groves. Another song that had us in stitches was around all the things we tell our bosses to get out of work. Much like when you’re psyching yourself up to tell this lie, you have to have conviction and Blake’s performance had this in abundance. This song, combined with some awesome video content from Joel Enfield, was genius.

Blake’s vocals are strong throughout, but its all of her hilarious characterisations that really stood out for me.

This only negative for me was some of the basic staging, as its just Blake on stage with her laptop. I found the constant “click the button on the laptop and then run to the mic in the centre of the stage” a bit formulaic at times. In saying that, however, Blake is quite honest about the lack of budget and how she has to do all the changes in full view and cracks jokes throughout, which is hysterical.  Although only a one woman show, there is another cast member that helps support Blake during her fun antics – the internet. Much like “NYC is Carrie’s best friend”, the internet is a great companion for Blake during her show.

One of the final songs, which sees Blake dressed as a rainbow emoticon (oh yes!), is a parody of the biggest lie of all – the ones we tell ourselves and how wonderful our lives are according to social media. Once again the lyrics, the graphics, the bright costumes and sheer boisterousness of Blake’s performance are a full blown hysterical feast for the senses.

We all have stories. We all tell lies no matter how little or how white. Go see this show. I’m not lying. No really.

Musical Director: Alex Groves
Co-Composer and Music Producer: Scott Quinn
Associate Producer: Cecile Beauvillard
Booking Until: March 1st 2015
Booking Link: http://www.vaultfestival.com/project/lie-collector/