The House of Life opened its welcoming arms last night at the Dome Studio, Brighton, and we were enveloped in the love, joy and craziness of the world they have created. This show promised joy, and it was exactly what we got!
This review is not going to tell you too much about the show – it would ruin the experience, but we will try and give you a flavour of what to expect and just how much fun we had. This show claims that it is ‘scientifically proven to make you feel 100% never sad again’ (although it does admit that recollections may vary!) From the moment we arrived until the last verses of a Spanish song we all somehow learnt to sing, we were involved, laughing and unexpectedly moved by the events on show.
We were introduced to ‘The Raverend’ (Dan Welch), a larger-than-life character in a flowing costume any priest would love to own. He ensured that everyone had glitter on their faces, was wearing a special wristbands, and had received a special present (we won’t tell you what it was, but we used it throughout the performance and got to take it home with us!). There was anticipation in the air and a sense of fun in the room, with music pulsing through the crowd. Our leader set the scene and within moments we began to hear a philosophy on life, personal development, and happiness.
Accompanying ‘The Raverend’ was ‘Trev’ (Lawrence Cole), a mild-mannered sidekick who was the butt of a few jokes and a wonderful contrast to the mayhem being created at the front of the stage. We were intrigued as to where this performance was taking us. There were moments of pure silliness, moments of stillness and also times when we genuinely felt uplifted and enhanced by this spectacle.
Throughout the show, this mesmeric performer had everyone joining in – it was almost impossible to resist his directions. We found ourselves on our feet dancing, pretending to be chickens, shouting affirmations at complete strangers and performing ridiculous movements, but it all felt completely consensual, and we were glad to comply. It turned out that the Raverend had a cracking voice, Trev played a mean sax solo, and everyone in the crowd was as willing as we were to participate. There was also some very clever use of a loop machine and music that lifted the soul.
As we said, it would be wrong to go into too much detail here – this is a show that you will want to experience first-hand. House of Life is an unexpected positive experience, and we encourage everyone to approach it with an open mind and avoid doing too much research. We left buzzing from the experience and delighted to have met such a charismatic performer. A first-rate performance that we will definitely remember.
Performance Dates:
Friday 13th February – 8.00 pm
Saturday 14th February – 8.00 pm
Tickets are available from The Brighton Dome – Tickets from £10.00
Accessibility information for this venue is available here.
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