Barbara and Yogashwara’s Safe Space @ Komedia

By Eric Page
May 9, 2010 - 10:53:18 PM
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Now this is a real fringe treat, go out now and get a ticket, queue if you have to and don’t put it off, this is what fringe is all about. This was the oddest, strangest and – frankly - creepiest show in the weirdest venue I’ve seen so far this season. The premise is easy, mother - and - daughter partnership Barbara and Yogashwara offer a Wi’min themed Spiritual refuge from the Festival fray with healing, rituals and mindfulness. In their tiny caravan, which you sit in, after removing your shoes and being ‘cleansed’ with herbs, the show goes on in front, around and within you.

This is ruthless adult comedy horror from delightful duo Hewlett & Eaton that explores power, abuse and New Age spirituality. It’s like a nightmare hippy ‘Nighty Night’ crossed with the ‘League of Gentleman’ and was a horrid dark delight from start to finish. I’m not going to go into what they do to you inside that little caravan of horror but it’s stayed with me most of the day.  There are some viscously inspiring send up’s, funny passive aggression, and a feeling of panto-like nastiness that makes the whole thing feel very real.

This is a Ducky commission, first aired at Gay Shame last year, so go and see them. It’s dark and intimate in all the wrong ways and also very very funny. It’s so wrong, it’s right.

There’s only room for six folk at most in this space so it’s a pretty full on, in your face show, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been spiritually raped whilst drinking menstrual blood, chanting for the moon goddess, loving my inner labia and had such fun. Their innovative use of the asbo legislation transferred into hippy dippy language is laugh out loud (if you dare) funny.

One of the best bits of this show was the fact the two of the audience folk (out of six) were two young male Indian Tourists who thought it was for real, and were looking for some genuine sacred spiritual moments, they were shell shocked.  I talked to them afterward and although (they said) they enjoyed it, you couldn’t help feeling sorry for them. God knows what they are going to tell folk when they get home.

Brilliantly horrible from start to finish. Tickets here:

Over 18’s only.  Till May 9. Shows run all day every hour on the hour.



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