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Review: Vegetables (Clerkenwell Bio Botanics)

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Review by Dan Sinclair


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Discussion of immersive theatre in the UK has been somewhat dominated by the work of Punchdrunk. It’s dark, sprawling, physical and notably high budget. Whether this be the epic storytelling of The Burnt City, or the horror of their hit production Sleep No More, they lead the way in this style of theatre. What it is not, however, is utterly insane comedy gold. Vegetables, a brand new immersive experience by Muddled Marauders, hosted generously by the Clerkenwell Bio Botanics facility, looks to fill this gap. Originally set up in 2016, the work of the Marauders is primarily in underground rave experiences where they are leading the way. Written and directed by Nathan Ess, Vegetables is their first attempt at a more strictly theatrical experience, and I can only hope it’s not their last. 



Much of the fun of this show is in its secrets, and the venue of the show itself is one of the most enticing - so I won’t say a word. Upon our entrance into the facility, we go through a handful of dingy tunnels that look like they were leftover from the Cold War. The venue is truly a playground for set designer, Ellie Koslowsky. Testimonials from previous happy visitors speak of the wonderful work of ‘the machine’. Initially, I couldn’t quite work out what the tone was supposed to be. The narration seemed fairly serious, but then I heard it whilst peering into a room entirely covered in tin foil with just a carrot in a jar sitting in the middle. What is going on? This goes on as we keep journeying through the facility, room to room to room, there are bemused chuckles from the audience as everyone tries to work out the tone together. Almost without warning, we come to a beautifully decorated waiting room, from the damp bunker corridors it was like falling into the Red Room from Twin Peaks. We all have a drink (with even a vegetable smoothie being on offer) and hear about the work being done here at Clerkenwell Bio Botanics. And then I get it, it clicks. This is black comedy at its finest. 


Julia Davis and her black comedy (Nighty Night, Human Remains, Hunderby) is a noted inspiration for the creative team. This is so clear in almost every moment of the show. It’s hilarious, but unbearably uncomfortable - so much so that I had to bite down hard on my wine glass at one point to stop myself from laughing at an entirely inappropriate moment. But this is comedy that wants you to squirm. It does bring something new to the genre of black comedy, it is Camp (with a capital c). Dialogue, no matter how silly, was always delivered with a completely straight face, making it even harder to decipher whether we were supposed to laugh or not. When we finally get to see ‘The Machine’, it looks like a set ripped straight out of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Random colourful buttons flash and machines make silly noises, it is utterly insane but so much fun. In its campness, it gets away with so much: silly diagrams of sci-fi technology, framed photos of Celine Dion and a premise that is right at home in a 1950s B-movie.



The cast nails this tone as well, with a stellar central performance from Adie Mueller. She constantly veers from comedy to drama, to madness, to vulnerability. Mueller does an excellent job spinning these four plates, never letting an audience know which one she’s about to drop next. A standout aspect of the experience, no doubt from their previous work on the rave scene, is the technical design. With sound by Paul Freeman and lighting by Ben Garcia, it could easily slide under the radar with all the chaos, but it's exceptional with the limited equipment they can get into each space. Each room comes alive with clever design choices, even if they are often a bit silly. 


Underneath the comedy, there is some genuinely thought-provoking storytelling. Today there is a cultural desire to be the best person that you can be, but Vegetables puts an interesting spanner into the works. Is it really a good thing to be a human without flaws? In one moment we get a reminder of this feeling in song form.


Too many people take second best, but I won’t take anything less. It’s got to be perfect.’


Judge the success of the medical trials yourself to see whether perfection is something worth chasing. Vegetables is unlike anything else you can see in London at the moment. It has been noted that some may not be able to afford its £40-per-person price tag, however the company have offers on their site for tickets at a 40% reduction or even free, so get stuck in there. Muddled Marauders have created a refreshing and truly wild piece of immersive theatre and I hope they make much more. Or just invite me to their raves. And to close, some highlights from my night. 


  • I got to pet a stuffed rat called Leonard.

  • I ate a carrot whilst a man... finished.

  • I heard the sentence, ‘Johan has been in a rutabaga for 11 months now.’


Vegetables is playing at [REDACTED] until June 23rd.


For tickets and to find out where visit www.clerkenwell-bio-botanics.co.uk  

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