Review: Museum of Austerity (The Maria, Young Vic)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You’d be forgiven for not knowing there is currently more than one “show” playing at the Young Vic Theatre. Though the huge posters outside direct you to their production of Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo, a much smaller and more subtle sign inside directs you to Museum of Austerity in their smaller studio space, The Maria. Not so much a show in any sense of the word, and more a combination of exhibit and experience, here’s why you should get yourself a ticket for this rather moving account, and what you need to know before you do.

Before I talk about the production itself, I want to say how difficult I found this to review and for very good reason. The subject matter is very harrowing to experience, and given that it is all based on true accounts of real people, it makes any sort of judgment feel quite inappropriate, and the inclusion of a star rating to measure the success is more crass than I have ever felt before. With that in mind, take these stars with a pinch of salt as I can only speak for my own experience, and your own is sure to differ drastically depending on what you are made of, your own circumstances and the personal history of you and your loved ones.

Bringing the human stories of Austerity Britain to life in a new and innovative way, Museum of Austerity lays bare the very real consequences when state safety nets fail, focusing on people on benefits and those with disabilities. Eight real stories from these shortcomings are available to discover throughout the experience, each told on their behalf by those who knew them.

Part exhibit, part installation, Museum of Austerity uses a holographic gallery, created by Sacha Wares and John Pring. After familiarising yourself with some of the essential themes in a short exhibit, a mixed reality headset is placed on you, and you are encouraged to enter the room and explore freely to discover the stories of these incredibly lifelike holograms in the 35 minutes you are allotted there.

If I am to actually review the experience and include one negative, it is a shame you are not able to encounter all eight of these holograms in your allotted time, due to the constraints of it. It means you are forced to make some tough choices of who gets your time and who gets neglected, though I imagine this was designed so an obvious comparison can be made to how the government has acted in the past, and the victims that have faced life-changing and even life-ending circumstances due to these choices. Perhaps that isn’t the intent, and I’m just overthinking it, but without knowing who has what story to tell, you never know what you are going to encounter next and what you may be leaving behind when your time is over.

The stories themselves are harrowing to listen to. Disturbing and uncomfortable, it provokes an extreme reaction - be it shock, anger, upset or a combination of them all. However, each experience can be tailored based on your own needs and how comfortable you are with each theme. It is recommended to check through the warnings before you enter, and if there are any subject matters you would rather not encounter, these can be removed from your personal headset. In that respect, this is a very clever and accommodating experience - one that has been handled sensitively to not make light of the very real people we hear about, while also being extremely considerate in how this experience might make visitors feel. Linked to that, they have also catered excellently for those with access needs, offering alternative experiences to ensure nobody is left out.

I came out of Museum of Austerity overwhelmed by what I had witnessed, and not having a clue how I was supposed to review it. Described as a blend of theatre, history and humanity - A place to reflect on the past and confront the future, it does exactly that, creating a unique and profoundly moving experience. Can I say I enjoyed it? Enjoy would be the wrong word - this is an experience that is designed to shine a light on the failings that have happened previously and make you sit up and take notice. It is incredibly powerful, and the number of people staying behind for a moment of reflection, and to talk to each other about what they had just witnessed, is a testament to the “success” of this, for lack of a better word. Museum of Austerity is an extremely affecting experience that has been skillfully realised and created with real care, certainly more care than those whose stories we hear were awarded.

Museum of Austerity is at the Young Vic until 16 January, presented by ETT, Trial and Error Studio and the National Theatre in association with the Young Vic. www.youngvic.org 

Photos by Ellie Kurttz