BANGERS, Arcola Theatre Review

Written by Bronagh for Theatre and Tonic.

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.

Content Warnings: contains distressing or potentially triggering themes, scenes of a sexual nature & strong language/swearing.

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The Arcola Theatre is transformed into a club night, familiar noughties favourites pumping much to the crowd’s delight. We have two headliners this evening, both with their own stories that intertwine with unexpectedly shared connections and a shared love of music.

Music brings people together; groups of friends, groups of strangers, people from across the world. Bangers is a show that really showcases this, Tanya-Loretta Dee excelling as our DJ, narrator and almost a Fairy Godmother figure with a huge presence in the room bringing a smile to the audience’s face. She watches over our headliners Alia (Danusia Samal) and Clef (Jim Caesar), seemingly unconnected characters, as they navigate extremely difficult situations relating to break ups, grief, sex and trauma. She checks in on their feelings and offers words of encouragement. 

The performances alongside Tanya-Loretta Dee in Bangers are stunning to watch. Danusia Samal flips between our headliner Alia, to Clef’s young girlfriend, to Clef’s friend Tone effortlessly. She brings depth to Alia beautifully, a character who up until the last fifteen minutes we wonder what happened to her to make her want to stop singing. Jim Caesar’s performances are also a brilliant watch, infectiously funny at times. 

Not only is Danusia Samal brilliant as Alia, but she also wrote the show. The script really is marvellous, a mixture of singing, rapping and lyrical prose. This flowed nicely, fluid and dynamic, showing different ways to convey the messages at hand. Bangers like an album,  set to nine background tracks, spun by Tanya-Loretta. We get to know our headliners on a deeper level, going back to their childhoods, to the famous Ministry of Sound and as we wander the streets of London.

Studio One of the Arcola Theatre is a brilliant space to stage Bangers. This space is set up in a horse shoe shape, with the DJ set up centre stage and surrounded by speaker-type props which are utilised throughout – acting like suitcases and even a hiding space, together with a bottle of pink fizz! The space feels huge when we are in the Ministry of Sound and the music is pumping, yet so compact and private when we are experiencing the more emotional amounts.

It got to a point in Bangers where it clicked in my head where it the story was going to go which, too be fair, this isn’t a bad thing at all. The story was straight forward and easy to follow, despite the themes of trauma and those of a sexual nature, so why overcomplicate things by adding in complete and utter curveballs? I left feeling happy and satisfied with ending and the show overall.

Bangers is truly worth a watch, having already been showcased in Edinburgh and the Soho Theatre as well as various other London venues, whether you’re a huge music fan or not that fussed. It is a joyous watch, with songs I am sure many of us will recognise and enjoy, a genuine crowd pleaser.

At the Arcola Theatre until 10th August 2024.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆