’Am I dead yet’ is a small show worth of the fringe venue upstairs (I almost was dead after climbing three flights) in the heart of London’s West End at the Soho Theatre.
Written and performed by Jon Spooner and Chris Thorpe this hour long performance really makes you think about death; but not as you’d expect. First of all three stories underpin the performance; one of a suicide in the late 70s/Early 80s the next is a young girl who fell into a frozen over lake set in modern day and the third is a hypothetical story set many, many years in the future where technology has progressed to a point where people don’t die; interspersed with songs about death it sounds like an awfully morbid night - in fact it was the complete opposite.
They are wonderful storytellers, carrying the audiences attention whilst telling the three stories all intertwined, which involve some heavy themes, is a skill. Before we get into the stories and after both performers have bounced about in their boxers right at the beginning there’s a CPR instructional section from a real paramedic - This followed some very interesting facts of why keeping a body freshly dead is better than leaving a collapsed person to die - very insightful stuff.
The only downfall was the sound balance; the first song that was performed wasn’t clear and you couldn’t hear the vocal very clearly but I’m sure it would have been funny and fitting the feel of the night. I particularly enjoyed the song at the end - the audience were asked to kill out cards that asked how we thought we would die - and using these cards the two made them into a song at the end of the night.
Cheerful, light and thought provoking this is a romp through death and puts you in touch with living life today.
Am I Dead Yet? runs at the Soho Theatre until the 18th of November.
Review by James-Lee Campbell
Rating: ★★★
