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Review: The Worst Little Warehouse in London

<p>Lala Barlow and Robbie Smith arrive in London. So begins a whirlwind of migration adventure and, most importantly, their year-long stay in a communal living warehouse they’ve coined The Worst Little Warehouse in London.</p>

Culture

Lala Barlow and Robbie Smith arrive in London. So begins a whirlwind of migration adventure and, most importantly, their year-long stay in a communal living warehouse they’ve coined The Worst Little Warehouse in London.

Caricatures of roommates you love to hate abound. Harking back to popular novel He Died with a Felafel in His Hand, Barlow and Smith divulge the eccentricities of their close neighbours to audience delight.

While Barlow and Smith’s characters have very clearly been born from London stereotypes they are familiar enough to resonate with audiences here in Melbourne. House sharing too, a near-universal experience in this day and age, offers a hive of hilarity audiences can relate to despite it being clear this production was created for British audiences.

The show’s vignettes are carefully threaded together and performed through almost non-stop musical-esque duet. This rowdy night is made up of much loved musical and pop tunes that Barlow and Smith have added their unique spin to. Who knew the classics from Chicago could say so much about messy toilet bowl offenders.

Barlow and Smith are pumped full of energy so much so the high physical demand of their production seems like a walk in the park.

This is particularly the case for the final number and it is something to behold. It is dense with impressively quick character changes, non-stop clambering conversation, witty quips and outrageous but believable drama.

Spending the show judging the residents of the worst little warehouse in London, one can’t help but wonder what Barlow and Smith’s housemates would say about them.

The Worst Little Warehouse in London played as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

 
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