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Photography credit: Julie Edwards.
There are some things that you never expect to mix. Red and green (unless it’s Christmas), water and oil, and the films of Quentin Tarantino and theatre – except the latter actually mixes together quite well.
We were recently invited to review Los Angeles based theatre company For The Record’s European premiere of Tarantino Live: Fox Force Five and the Tyranny of Evil Men – a two hour spectacle showcasing all of the greatest moments and music from the prolific film director Quentin Tarantino.
Described as a “critically acclaimed theatrical rock experience”, we went into the show more than intrigued. Was this going to be a musical? A play with music? Or something entirely different altogether?
The best way to describe this show is a rock cabaret performance. It expertly picks out the most iconic moments from a host of Tarantino’s greatest and most famous works, fusing them together to create a character study of him as an artist. We are taken through his career in a postmodern way not unlike the style of Pulp Fiction, one of the films dissected in the show, studying chapter by chapter recurring themes and motifs that he chooses to use within his art. Throughout the show we use these chapters to unpick Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Django Unchained, Inglourious Basterds, Jackie Brown, The Hateful Eight, Death Proof and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Playing at the iconic Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, the show takes place in one of the three repurposed television studios which only adds to the feel of the piece. I can’t imagine anywhere better placed to host this celebration of an auteur as renowned as Tarantino himself. The studio transformation itself is simple yet effective, with a large stage utilising projections and a long catwalk to bring the action out into the audience. The audience themselves are split into different groups all named after characters from Reservoir Dogs, with the ‘Mr Blacks’ of the audience getting the opportunity to sit on tables surrounding the catwalk and almost becoming part of the action. The rest of the audience can view the impressive performance from raked seating surrounding the floor.
The use of space is one of the things that, for me, made this show stand out so much. Not only do we have the different levels of the stage, but we are also surrounded by scaffolding that expands the performance space beyond the stage and the stalls. This is used sparingly throughout, but acts as a space for characters to observe and interact only when necessary, as the lines between the different film narratives become more and more blurred. Not only do we experience a semi-breaking of the fourth wall, but the characters on stage do as well.
This is a show that does not have a plot. Instead, we have a narrator who guides us through the topics we’re going to be unpacking within Tarantino’s work in a style not too dissimilar to 1970s radio disc jockeys. Each ‘chapter’ focuses on a different element of Tarantino’s work – from his love of gore right to his fascination with stunt drivers – it really does cover everything. One thing I was not expecting from this show is such a strong commentary on the role of women within Tarantino’s work.
Not typically known for his kind portrayal of women on screen, it’s fair to argue that Tarantino films are not the first thing you think of when you think of feminist cinema. Rarely do we see the women within the narrative have agency over their own story; famously, even The Bride from Kill Bill is nameless and is motivated by the actions of the men within her life. One striking thing for me about Tarantino Live is that it could have easily chosen to focus on the guts and gore that one expects from Tarantino (and celebrated the iconic men from the films) but instead it presents them as bumbling fools. Ultimately, this is a show about the women who make up the ‘Fox Force Five’, all of whom come together in a beautiful moment to close off the show taking back their agency and cement themselves as the true stars.
The production quality of this show is outstanding, particularly emphasised the night we went to see it. Before the show we had a speech from the producer, who explained that unfortunately the company had seen a few members fall ill over the weekend and that what we were about to see was a cut show. We learnt that there may be a few people in roles they wouldn’t usually have been playing, and some cast members may be performing with script in hand. We do love a cut show here at Overstudies, as it usually means we’re in for a special and unique experience.
It’s a testament to the cast and crew of this show that, if we hadn’t been told this information prior to the ‘curtain’ going up, we would not have noticed that this was a cut show. The only giveaway would have been the script in hand, but even that could have been a conscious creative choice that I feel we wouldn’t have questioned. We did see one less Reservoir Dog performing, with Ben Mabberley instead stepping up into the role of Vincent for the evening, alongside the role of Marcellus being performed by Anton Stephans & Company and the role of Jackie being performed by Samara Casteallo. Every scene played out without a hitch, and it did not remove from the fun of the experience one bit. A huge round of applause to everyone who pulled together to make that performance possible – you did a terrific job!
While there is only limited time to catch Tarantino Live at Riverside Studios, with the run ending on 31 July, we’d recommend hopping in your getaway car or dancing yourself over to Hammersmith ASAP. While a level of knowledge surrounding Tarantino and his work is required to fully appreciate the show, I would argue that you don’t have to be his biggest fan to fully appreciate the performance (we certainly aren’t!). This is a fantastic study of a film auteur through the medium of stage, and it’s a fun experience for fans of both Tarantino and of film in general. I left wanting to go and pick up my old Film Studies textbooks and delve back into the world of Tarantino once more, and I can see this show inspiring a lot of people to do the same.
Tickets are available for remaining performances from official ticketing partner fever.com
