REVIEW | England On Fire, Balletboyz

Written by Bronagh

Disclaimer: gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.

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Sadlers Wells Theatre has been home to many dance, theatre and opera companies, drawing in audiences night after night, since 1683. Now primarily known as a dance venue, Sadlers Wells is welcoming Balletboyz, a critically acclaimed company undertaking their most ambitious project yet. England on Fire is inspired by the book of the same name by Mat Osman which promises a ‘visual journey through England’s psychic landscape’. Forty creatives have collaborated to create what can certainly be described as a brilliant performance.

We are greeted by an unnamed woman (danced by Artemis Stamouli), who is then joined by the rest of the dancers wearing canine and antlered headdresses, which is quite unnerving and gives a spooky, folk tale feel to the beginning of the show. We follow the woman’s journey, the next eighty minutes split into ten segments. The dancers – a mix of male and female, despite Balletboyz being best known for being an all-male company – twist and lift, twerk and twirl their way through the segments, outfits change and music changes from strings to what feels like an episode of Top of the Pops 2 and back again.

The lighting is gloomy, courtesy of lighting director Andrew Ellis. This really sets the scene and was a marvellous backdrop to the dancing. Costumes are by Katherine Watt, and veer from raggy to Elizabethan-esque, to spooky headdresses to very modern denim shorts. We have an orchestra positioned to the back of the stage, at times cloaked by a sheer panel. The music was good, but not ‘stick in your head’ good.

Splitting the show up into segments is a great call, and does keep the audience engaged. Rebellion is the stand-out segment; post-punk band Gag Salon appear from behind a giant St George’s flag, and perform a very enjoyable set. This is anarchy at its best. It’s no secret that the current government does not view the arts with the regard it deserves, so the TOTP2 style punky music paired with projections of the likes of Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman and Margaret Thatcher is very fitting.

I cannot deny that the dancers are so talented and give it their all. They are very energetic, and power through. But something just didn’t click for me. I feel like there could have been more. The choreography was great but I felt like it could have pushed a few more boundaries, and shook the audience to the core. There are so many talented creatives involved, which makes you wonder if this is a ‘too many chefs’ situation.

The idea of England on Fire is great, but just needs a little more tightening and a more coherent message to hit the mark for me.

At Sadlers Wells until the 11th November.

★ ★ ★