Picture: Pete Le May
Lovebites continues at the White Bear Theatre, London until 21 April 2018.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Having received rave reviews in Australia, Lovebites is now playing at the White Bear Theatre in its UK premiere and is a great addition to the London Fringe.
Lovebites is a clever and comical song cycle performed by a small cast of four actors, accompanied by a pianist. In the first half, the cast members take on multiple roles to enact the unlikely and unexpected situations in which couples meet and fall in love, creating hilarious and sometimes worryingly relatable scenes.
The second half takes on a more sombre but no less entertaining mood as we watch whether these relationships will stand the challenges that life throws at them.
Peter Rutherford and James Millar have written a funny but challenging score and there are moments when the cast’s singing lacks accuracy.
However, the humour and energy of the stories and the performers means this does not detract from the overall performance. The cast works well as a cohesive group and manages the quick changes of tone and character deftly. This means both the amusing ensemble numbers as well as the more touching moments are executed well. In particular, Ariane Sallis gave a standout performance and is very watchable in all the roles she takes on.
As a whole, it is a very well-thought-out production. Grace Taylor’s direction makes the most of the limited amount of space and keeps the show visually interesting.
The slick transitions in both the writing and direction mean the piece doesn’t lose momentum,which can easily happen in a song cycle. This is mirrored in the use of the token props and costumes. They are employed thoughtfully to denote different characters and situations but do not detract attention in the scenes or scene changes.
Charlie Burt’s choreography adds different personalities to each song and keeps in pace with the exciting and humorous tone of the show. Through clever lighting decisions, Yana Demo utilises the black box theatre to its full potential, creating a limitless space to house the collection of love stories.
Lovebites is a polished and funny production, so grab your friends, buy a pint and enjoy this Fringe piece before it closes.
Lani Calvert
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