Squally Showers

Margaret Thatcher breakdancing on a map of Britain as money rains down on her. Four mythological creatures emerge and start taunting the former PM as they play piggy in the middle with an inflatable globe. It’s an image which could be prompted by too much cheese before bedtime, but is just one of a number of memorable visual concoctions delivered by Little Bulb Theatre in the unique Squally Showers.

Set in and around a television news channel, the action jumps from the HR department to sales, from the newsroom to accounts. At every stop there’s a sketch which combines comedy with music and modern dance. It’s confusing, always over-the-top, but oddly intoxicating. The five cast members give it everything they have, strutting the stage in fake moustaches, wigs and black leggings; all the while bellowing in dodgy Australian accents.

Occasionally bubbles fill the air, combining with a glittering mirrorball to create a goosebump-inducing atmosphere.

As to what it’s actually all about, it would be politest to say that it’s open to personal interpretation. There’s certainly plenty of media satire, while the outfits and music hark back to the 1980s in a way that consistently pokes fun at the decade of excess.

There’s also a feeling that some sections are simply the result of throwing everything at the stage at the same time to see what happens.

A closing epigram assures us that “television is a magical force.” It’s not for everyone, but Squally Showers shows that theatre is too.