Orpheus

The crackle of the gramophone gives way to the thunder of drums as the Little Bulb company, in the opulent surroundings of Battersea Arts Centre’s Grand Hall, begins to tell a love story, that of Orpheus and his Eurydice.

The story itself is set within a frame, casting legendary musician, Django Reinhardt – played by Dominic Conway – as Orpheus and setting the whole production in a music hall in the Paris of the 1930s. Chanteuse Yvette Pepin – Eugenie Pastor, swathed in red velvet – takes the role of Eurydice and the resulting production revels in the conventions of the operatic while also having fun with them – in a similar manner to Little Bulb’s previous show, Sporadical.

There’s a lot of ham acting, vast angular hand gestures, lips parting in silent screams. Performers collide with the curtains, which crank open and shut frequently, and there’s a puppet snake that resembles a draught excluder. Much fuss, deservedly so, is made over the playing of the Grand Hall’s recently restored organ.

This is theatre as event, with a lengthy jazz interlude in which cheese and wine can be brought in the bar while the band plays on. In truth the slightly convoluted framing device feels like an excuse to revel in the musical styles of the time, but it’s a welcome excuse as Alexander Scott’s production is greatly entertaining as an experience – the cast are all skilled musicians – and the piece is steeped in the love of theatre and music.