After a two-year hiatus, Vault Festival returned in January with a massive programme of exciting events. Over the last two months its 500 shows of plays, comedy acts, drag shows, cabaret performances and more, have played out in venues dotted around Waterloo.
Now, there’s just over a week left of the festival – but there’s still a tonne of fantastic shows to book into. Here are our picks of the shows you must see.
Ram of God
Ram of God is about the followers of a milk-based religion who think the apocalypse is coming very soon. In it, the world is a bit mixed up and a little barmy: “sheep are people, people are sheeple”, says the show’s description. Performance artist Theodora van der Beek conducts this hilarious “part religious ceremony, part stadium rock concert” where philosophy is mixed with milk-themed jokes. A version of the show, which was shown at The Living Record Festival in January 2021, was described as “deliciously daft” by The Guardian which said it was “the highlight” of the online compilation festival.
March 10 to 11
The Net Kill
This is the comedy about badminton you never knew you needed. It started life as a work-in-progress at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham and now, some three years on, here it is at the Vault Festival. Set at the end of the 19th century, this raucous comedy from Incognito Theatre Company follows a five-strong badminton team sent to vanquish a mysterious beast terrorising the English countryside.
March 7 to 12
Jo Griffin and Yuriko Kotani Wip It Up!
In Wip It Up! Comedians Jo Griffin and Yuriko Kotani spend an hour answering some of the biggest – and smallest – questions about life. What are their qualifications for handing out advice, you say? Well, Kotani won the BBC New Comedy Award in 2015, and has been on series such as Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central and BBC Three’s Pls Like, while Griffin is part of the highly-acclaimed sketch duo Lola and Jo and has received some stellar reviews for her work over the years. Which means that they have none whatsoever, but that you are likely to have a marvellous time at their show. “We got you babes!” says the event notes.
March 14
Miss Ellaneous
Drag act Miss Ellaneous’ show – which is hosted by artist Charlie Wood and acclaimed clown Frankie Thompson – is likely to be a raucous affair. Its description sets the tone, saying that audiences should expect “anti-capitalist tap dancing”, a “very very vague plotline”, “emotional polystyrene moments™”, and “a comprehensive economic plan for the year ahead – order yours in advance for the interval”.
Frankie Thompson’s 2022 show Catts (which showed at Pleasance Courtyard in Edinburgh and at London’s Soho theatre) pulled in some fantastic reviews, with one saying, “Thompson is a magnetic performer, her clownish physicality a joy to watch.”
March 17
Helen Duff: Lullabies
Comedian Helen Duff, whom you might know from The Mash Report or ITV’s The Emily Atack Show, has been making solo comedy shows for nearly decade: her first solo work, Vanity Bites Back, won a Fringe First nomination at Edinburgh in 2014, and her subsequent shows have been just as well-received. Her latest work, Lullabies, is her first show after having a baby, and, as Vault puts it, “Oh Mama is she itching to blow off some steam”.
March 18
Sobriety On The Rocks
Sobriety On The Rocks, from A Tad Kiwi Productions, is a one-woman exploration of alcoholism and sobriety which has been inspired by real-life events and experiences. The story starts with Richard, who is involuntarily detoxing in hospital. It then opens up: Richard’s been involved in a drunk driving incident, the paramedic who attended the crash is dealing with her own issues, Richard’s wife isn’t doing great and his teenage son is worried about his dad’s future. One reviewer called the show, “an intoxicating performance, soused in brutal honesty.”
March 18 to 19
Good Grief
In Good Grief, award-winning physical company Ugly Bucket processes the death of a friend through a “kinetic maelstrom of outrageous clowning, personal testimony and a thumping techno soundtrack”. The show, which won the Untapped Award and played to full houses at the Edinburgh Fringe, started from a real experience when a mentor of the theatre company’s founders who was terminally ill asked them for a 10-minute performance at his memorial. They quickly realised they had more than enough material for a full show about grief and the memories that are left behind.
March 14 to 18
You Are Going To Die, Adam Scott-Rowley
Adam Scott-Rowley’s This Is Not Culturally Significant had a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe and Vault festival, and picked up scores of five-star reviews. Now, Scott-Rowley’s back, with another entirely naked show which is self-described as “a surreal meditation to remind you of your impending annihilation” and also as “a nail-biting descent into the loneliness, pain and existential anxiety of our time”. Not for everyone then. “Brace yourself for a shared purge,” says Vault. “It’s f**king funny too,” says Scott-Rowley’s website.
March 14 to 19
Piece of Work, James Rowland
James Rowland’s Piece of Work still isn’t completely finished, but this hardly matters. Rowland’s past work picked up some incredible five-star reviews when it showed at Edinburgh – The Guardian called him a “consummate storyteller” and said that “few performers can hold a moment like he can”. In Piece of Work, the actor and comedian tells a careering story that somehow encompasses a chicken burger, two brothers, UK culture, politics and time. “I think it’ll be a good time!” said Rowland.
