2nd of April 2025, Brighton Old Market-For those who have a passion for the ancient tradition of oral storytelling, folk aesthetics, sounds and stories, and those who may have always dreamt of leading a sea shanty to feel like a drunk pirate singing with his crew, there is no better show to go to at the moment than Sh!t Theatre’s Sh!t Theatre: Or What’s Left of Us. Last Wednesday at the Old Market in Brighton, for 60 minutes and as long as you are willing to stay afterwards for a sing-around, the two performers Louise and Rebecca took the audience by the hand and led the way into a fierce exploration of death and grief, told through whimsical, humorously morbid and beautifully melancholic folk songs. BY ALICIA MASSE
Along with their strong harmonic voices, coordinated wit and snappy performance, Louise and Rebecca manage during this one hour to channel true folk spirit in the relationship they build between themselves and the audience. This relationship resides within the space usually occupied by the barrier between those on stage and those watching it, but Sh!t Theatre ensures that that barrier is torn down before the show even begins, as they walk amongst the crowd in their performance makeup and costumes, chatting and offering sandwiches to those attending. The standing area of the venue has been turned into a cosy restaurant-like seating arrangement with lit candles on the tables, through which both of the performers walk freely to interact with the audience and even share a drink with them during the show, bringing to the performance the spirit of a folk club singalong night in a busy pub. This energy is in part what makes this show so enjoyable- it understands and revives the communal and lively aspect of folk music. For all the jokes they make about stereotypical young folk musicians and the idea of “imperfections making art more beautiful” through the metaphor of kintsugi bowls, Rebecca and Louise show a real appreciation of these principles. Folk music’s beauty resides in its communal creation, the absence of artistic hierarchy and the process of word-of-mouth retelling throughout history that makes it imperfect and ever-changing, in other words, a truly accessible living art.
This makes it the perfect genre to paint a very sincere and personal picture of shared human experiences like love and loss, personal experiences which the duo recounts in a way that blurs the line between acting and feeling. The tempo of their performances, set design, physicality and singing all blend together in a show that balances emotionality and humour and reminds us of the cathartic nature of theatre.
This catharsis is taken to the singalong for which the duo goes around the bar to encourage every member of the audience to lead a song (although saying no remains an option). Lyrics are changed in the middle of songs and relatable modern struggles are added to ancient rhythms and rhymes. The imperfect chorus reminds us that some emotions are intrinsically human and continual throughout history, so why not express and remember them through songs made to be sung together?
