Dance / Karaoke
By , Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Whether it’s unabashed joy, grimacing unease or sheer panic, the prospect of karaoke stirs up strong feelings in most people.
In Lewys Holt’s Empty Orchestra, three dancers translate the full gamut of emotions in an alchemical rollercoaster of a performance that never shys away from the glare of the spotlight.
Taking turns at the mic, which stands in front of a shimmering foil curtain, they perform bursts of karaoke classics – from Robyn to Dolly Parton, Aerosmith to Lionel Ritchie – with a universal gusto that belies their wildly varying abilities to hold a tune.
The performers embody the awkwardness, the courageness, the earnestness, and the occasional, often accidental beauty of karaoke. While all too often, it’s capable of turning songs we love into those we hate, when it works, it can do the very opposite.
While one sings, the others dance, their infectious pulsing sequences revealing their inward fears, vulnerabilities and motivations as they psych themselves up for their next shift on the mic.
At times the singing breaks down completely, giving way to lip syncing, talking – “I hate this song” – guitar playing and gesturally-rich snatches of choreography around the intimate space of The Wardrobe Theatre.
It’s hard not to be drawn into the warmth and goodwill in the room, and the pockets of intense giggling in the audience give way to palpable relief when we are all suddenly singing Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere, together.
On finishing, the trio is met with a standing ovation as a sense of collective joy washes over the space.
Empty Orchestra is brimming with invention from the performers, whose portrayal of karaoke is as wonderfully rich, painful and pleasurable by degrees, as the experience itself. All that said, for me, it’s when they dance, that they really sing.
Empty Orchestra is at The Wardrobe Theatre on September 20-21 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at www.thewardrobetheatre.com.
All photos: Liam Keown
Read more: New noodle bar and karaoke rooms opening soon
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