Trying to explain Basset Theatre Company’s Gogol-inspired immersive dining experience without sounding slightly delirious is difficult. Somewhere between the terrace party overlooking Hackney, the man dressed as a potato making inappropriate jokes to strangers, and the seemingly endless flow of wine, the evening began to feel like a surreal social experiment rather than a piece of theatre.
Inspired by the dark humour and absurdity of Nikolai Gogol, the production guides audiences through a private flat and onto a crowded terrace, where performers and guests blur into one another. Immersive promenade theatre is not a new concept, but it works particularly well here. The experience suggests that art does not exist solely within a stage or script, but also within awkward interactions, strange conversations and the unpredictability of people sharing a space together. Experiencing it alone heightened the surreal atmosphere of the evening.
The play’s narration and Ukrainian folk songs were particularly strong, adding a grounded, musical thread through the more chaotic elements of the night. The acting itself carried the right level of humour throughout, something essential when adapting Gogol, whose writing often satirised vanity and status. The costumes and prosthetics added to the strange atmosphere, while the performers roaming amongst the audience helped sustain the feeling that absolutely anything could happen next. Not every joke will land for every audience member, particularly some of the terrace improvisation, but the unpredictability became part of the evening’s charm.
The food was arguably the highlight. As someone who has eaten a lot of Ukrainian food, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was, particularly given that the chef was not Ukrainian. The borscht tasted remarkably close to the kind my mum makes. The decision to avoid pickled herring in favour of sea bass ceviche for the starter was probably wise too – some acquired tastes are best introduced gradually to English audiences. The dill dressing was also a thoughtful touch. No complaints.
The shadow puppetry by Drew Colby arrived later in the evening and was timed perfectly, particularly after a few glasses of wine. Entertaining, technically impressive and completely in keeping with the strange tone of the night, it brought the performance together nicely.
Basset Theatre Company’s production may be a fever dream that is difficult to categorise, but it was certainly memorable. Strange, funny and occasionally chaotic, it offered a genuinely unique evening that lingered long after the party on the terrace had ended.
Directed by Andreas Robichaux