I Made You A Mixtape dance review: Groovy nostalgia trip
Fuelled by 90s throwbacks and a catchy soundtrack, the show charms with a vibrant aesthetic but neglects to delve into its characters
The appetite young people have for 90s culture is both joyous and illuminating. Here was a time when there were no smartphones, when invitations to college parties were spread by word-of-mouth, and when angsty rock and moody grunge reigned supreme. Response Theatre from London do a great job of recreating the decade’s atmosphere in this dance-based piece. Set at a college dorm party on a pivotal night, each of the nine women attending will go on to spread their wings in different ways. There’s beer pong and Dream Phone, mesh tops and baggy jeans, and snappy, street-inflected choreographic routines. For those of us who were there the first time round, it’s a pure nostalgia trip; plus the 90s bangers are non-stop, backed by a live drummer and guitarist.
The piece feels muddled in its purpose, though. Each girl takes a turn to solo a brief premonition of her future but the storylines are too thin for us to feel for the characters and the choreography not nuanced enough to carry it as a whole. The talent-show format has a long history in dance (the second act of The Nutcracker, for instance) but it’s an odd one and tricky to pull off.
I Made You A Mixtape, SpaceTriplex, until 29 August, 7pm.