Writer: Dr Adam Perchard
Composer: Richard Thomas
Interview With The Vamp makes no apologies for its intellectual references or its self-obsessed focus and it earns every moment of both. In some ways, it is exactly what is expected from a cabaret performance by and about an ‘escaped academic’. However, it obliterates any fears that its intellectualism might lead to dullness through magnificent singing and comedic timing.
For a show light on ceremony, and ostensibly a celebration of improvisational skill, great attention is paid to detail. This is clearly put on display in Dr Adam Perchard’s sumptuous costume but is most obvious in the quality of lyric writing and poetry. Perchard is very erudite, calling on highbrow references and smashing them together with the low and dirty realities of life. They are unapologetic in their intellectualism, but they’re matched in equal measure by filthy references and memories of the everyday monotony of poor mental health. It’s thanks to this constant to-and-fro that the show’s references to Proust and Plato feel earned and not self-satisfied.
Interview With The Vamp spends a not inconsiderable amount of its runtime concerned with ugly truths – racism within the queer community and fatphobia to name a couple. There’s a rawness to these moments, as Perchard wrestles, in resplendent song, with being body-positive while expressing a personal desire to lose weight. At times, this interest in exploring the ugliness of that feeling tips over into a simple repetition of society’s unpleasant obsessions with weight. When the audience applauds Perchard for losing weight, it feels like the complexity of the feeling has been lost and society has reverted to its obsession with thinness.
There are imperfect moments in Interview With The Vamp when lines are misread or microphone stands won’t obey. But each of these is opportunity for Perchard to make light of the mishap, demonstrating their experience and comfort as a performer. While this is largely the case, there are times when hiccups are tripped over and swept away. This would not normally be an issue, but in a show that proclaims the joy of a certain type of improvisation, these moments stand out as missed chances. The transition between songs would be another occasion for refinement, as sometimes they are rushed, forced, or a little too stumbling.
Despite this, the songs themselves are brilliantly performed. Richard Thomas’s compositions not only give structure to Perchard’s complex lyrics, but they also embrace the everchanging rhythm of their thoughts. Not every change in time signature feels smooth, but they would not feel out of place on a West End stage and clearly demonstrate Thomas’s pedigree as an Olivier Award-winning composer.
Ultimately, Interview With The Vamp wants us to spend an hour inside Perchard’s brain and it’s a funny, messy, clever place to be, filled with hilarious anecdotes and turns of phrase. What’s more delightful than that is spending an hour in a room commanded by Perchard’s singing voice.
Runs until 13 July 2024
