First night

TIM ETCHELLS | FORCED ENTERTAINMENT

Onto a stage decked out entirely in red curtains bounce seven vaudevillians, stepping lightly across the boards. All but one that is, the token jack-in-the-box. All of them make their way to the front of the stage, presenting themselves to an audience eager to be won over by their Pepsodent smiles, their sequined dresses, their long, sleek legs, their shimmering costumes, their gala hairdos and make-up. With a microphone, a saw, a chair, some balloons and signs plus a few flashy tunes and lighting effects, the actors dance on the heads of pins and set the cat among the pigeons to create theatre of real substance.