What I liked
Gorgeous writing. After seeing the show twice, I can begin to see the foundations of the story structure, how intentional each word is and how intricately each detail is placed in order to reveal everything to the audience at exactly the right time.
What I didn't like
It’ll likely come with getting acquainted with the space, but there were some moments where sight lines were weird, particularly on stage right. It seems that focus was occasionally placed further to the side than the seats in the house went, which leads to some of the audience losing moments.
My overall impression
Audrey Valcourt’s Vampire Nightclub, 1983 is genuinely one of the coolest and most moving pieces of theatre that I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. A gorgeous allegory for queerness that transcends time (because, you know, vampires), it manages to make you both laugh at its relatability and cry at its reality. It’s always exciting to see LGBTQ+ identities represented onstage, especially when portrayed in such an authentic and vulnerable way by a queer writer. Furthermore, Audrey’s stamina while playing several characters and dancing is a masterclass in acting for theatre. After having seen the first preview, I have high hopes that this show will only get better and better, and I’m thrilled to see what they’ll do next. A must see.
