Review: Fabulous Creatures (Arcola Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

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Throughout history, women have often been pushed aside or mistreated – their roles in events either faux-surprising in their importance, or entirely minimised. The same, a deeper look may tell us, can be true of their roles in mythology. Where there are mighty heroes and fierce warriors, there are waiting women whose only trait is beauty, with perhaps a dash of cruelty if they’re permitted to be the villains. Then there are the monsters, women who became demonic and brutal because they dared give in to the darkness within – it is they who Quentin Beroud and Emily Louizou want us to hear more from in Fabulous Creatures.

Now headlining at the Monstrous Cabaret, their days of vengeance and destruction firmly behind them, Charybdis, Siren, and Scylla and turned their passion for ending the lives of men into performing for the lesser ranking members of both heaven and hell. What at first seems to be an ordinary evening at the club is turned on its head with the arrival of a mortal woman who seeks revenge on her sadistic husband, and who knows that only these three women are fit for the job. Tempted by a return to their former glory, they must wrestle with whether they can stand to be so despised again, and give us an insight into how they became that way to begin with.

Of course, peppered through the evening are songs, a collaboration between Beroud and musician Irene Skylakaki. With allusions to the myths and legends Fabulous Creatures draws its setup from present throughout, they are also, crucially, the sort of sultry, conversational cabaret number one might expect wandering into a dark and dingy club. Coupled with Ioli Filippakopoulou’s alternatively flirtatious and brash choreography, the acts feel genuine, done-before, and authentic to the characters performing them. Also setting the right tone is the set, decked out by Ismini Papaioannou with a red carpet in the shape of splattered blood, a decadent and shimmering curtain, and behind it a believably lived-in and cluttered dressing area.

Louizou also directs the piece, showing an understanding of when immersive elements should be more heavy-handed and when pulling back from the audience is the correct choice. For the scenes set beyond the Monstrous Cabaret, the knowingness of being watched is suddenly absent from the performances, helping to tell us when they are no longer part of a show within the show. Her and Beroud’s script also shows clear distinction, the cockiness and assured personalities of the characters muting somewhat and their come-hither qualities give way to real emotions and a genuine concern for both their new visitor and what her request could mean for them.

As master of ceremonies Charybdis, Hannah Van Der Westhuysen brings the right balance of menace and welcoming friendliness, their performance never leaning too far into the macabre and upsetting touches or too far from them. There’s a boisterousness to them that makes it somehow less and more jarring when they address audience members directly, having it be completely expected but also having enough edge that you worry where it could go. Playing against Westhuysen’s sauciness with a girlish diva-ness rival even Galinda Upland (of the Upper Uplands, that it) is Siren, played with coyness and a gorgeous vocal tone by Jazz Jenkins. Making her professional London debut, Jenkins shows a great knack for taking things too far, so that when they’re pulled back we really feel the impact.

A burlesque performer under the name Have Your Kate and Eat It, it’s no surprise that Kate Newman brings qualities only a real cabaret veteran could to Scylla, the part-canine creature of brazen displays. Initially only barking, Newman brings a deep cynicism to the role, making her seem just as untameable and likely to make rash, spur-of-the-moment decisions as Charybdis’ watchful eyes would imply. Showing great range, Newman also plays the role of the mortal woman, Clytemnestra, who has turned to the monstrous trio for help. In these scenes, she is damaged, fragile, and believably human, something carefully avoided in the other performances.

A confusing exercise in having your audience root for the success of returning mass murderers, Fabulous Creatures wears its bizarreness and its dismissal of convention as badges of honour. The most informative lesson on mythology, combined with a genuine enjoyable set of songs from three stand-out performers, this is certainly something different, and it’s hard not to recommend a tentative visit to the grimy depths of the Monstrous Cabaret.

Fabulous Creatures plays at the Arcola Theatre until June 15th

For tickets and information visit https://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/fabulous-creatures/

Photos by Sophie Giddens