“I feel I caught to the script!” – The Fable of the Best Struggle
Viewers members enter, greeted by Olaf Falafel, an illustrator, sitting behind an easel and Katie Pritchard, a musician, accompanying the pre-show music with egg shakers and showing to be deep in dialog with Ben Van der Velde, the star of the present.
As soon as seated, the present begins with Van der Velde taking centre stage, calling us “a nice assortment of human beings” earlier than instantly roasting members of the viewers. He claimed that the room was filled with “heavy testosterone and violent oestrogen” as he known as out two males that appeared like Russian hitmen, the “Goth cabaret,” and the ladies within the entrance row who appeared like senior faculty pupils. However as Van der Veljode is jokingly insulting the viewers members, he’s starting to weave collectively a narrative in entrance of our eyes.
The Huffington Submit claims that Van der Velde is a “grasp of viewers interplay” and I can not assist however agree with them. When taking moments to pause from laughing on the fast and witty jokes, I discovered myself in awe of how simply Van der Velde is ready to take what gave the impression to be random characters and put them collectively, making a story about an underground combat ring that was being run by “The Final Remaining Briton,” Richard.
There have been hilarious callbacks to viewers members all through the present and I used to be fairly impressed by Van der Velde having the ability to keep in mind each single title, even dealing with drunken hecklers with aplomb.
Certainly one of my favorite elements of the VAULT Pageant is seeing how performers work together with the loud trains above them. Some select to disregard the noise, others rapidly acknowledge it and transfer on, and a few, like Van der Velde, take it in stride with religious-themed bits like “We have angered the Previous Gods,” “Abruptly, Oldin Oldfather rises from the Northern Sea,” and, after a fantastically timed prepare leaving the station when Van der Velde advised an viewers member he was a person of God, “That is the Massive Man going, ‘Certainly one of mine!'”
Lastly, on the finish of the present, Olaf’s masterpiece is revealed – cartoons of the totally different characters that made up our little fable of “Judo Dave’s Struggle Evening.” Viewers members just like the “Fifth Wave Feminist Transformer” (To cite Van der Velde, “Capitalise the T, reviewer!”) Vincent, Richard, Charles, and Ben had been all drawn on the web page together with enjoyable catchphrases and nicknames. Why there was an illustrator to accompany Van der Velde’s storytelling is considerably unclear, however there are some very humorous moments offered by Olaf all through the present.
There have been some nice results offered by Katie Pritchard together with heavenly music when one of many viewers members’ names was revealed to be Angel, some 8-bit themes, the identical sound impact for anybody receiving an damage, and, after all, the long-lasting cowbell. I want that we had been in a position to hear extra of Pritchard’s music and sound results, however I look ahead to listening to it in her personal VAULT present, Disco Ball, quickly!
Finally, Ben van der Velde: Fablemaker is an effectively constructed, immersive present that forces its viewers to not solely take part however to assist create the story. Van de Velde, accompanied by Pritchard and Falafel, is ready to carry collectively every individual’s particular person story, put his personal twist on it, and tie every of them collectively to make a uniquely humorous fable.
Ben Van der Velde: Fablemaker runs on the VAULT Pageant on 22 February at 21:10 within the Crypt at The Vaults.
Photograph Credit score: VAULT Pageant
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