Chris Baillie went to Slung Low Shorts last night…
Contrary to popular belief, I actually enjoy a bit of theatre now and again. I also like it when I don’t have to leave South Leeds for my cultural experience.
Slung Low shorts takes place in the Underground Ballroom in Holbeck. Don’t go expecting anything new and fancy; it’s a run down, shabby place filled with all kinds of knick-knacks, mis-matched furniture, fairy lights and an intimate staging area.
I took my eldest daughter who agreed to go based on her limited attention span – the plays are each fifteen minutes long and she felt she could stay focused for just about long enough if they were boring.
The first play was The Teapot by Hayley November. A play about two forty-something women visiting a tattooists. It was fast paced and funny, with an emotional twist. I won’t give too much away, though my daughter did say she thought there was too much swearing in it.
The stage was re-set and it was followed by Peace of Mind by Kirsty Halton, a strange dystopian tale about selling children. The least enjoyable was Dishonour by David Allison, mainly due to it being about Thatcher and Saville. I couldn’t even bring myself to applaud at the end! It was mainly due to the politics though, not the acting.
Meetcute by Furquan Akhtar took place in the bar area and was a conversation between two ex-lovers’ accidental meeting. My favourite actor of the night was George England in Three Two one by Sharma Walfall, a play about sexual liaisons going wrong. The Bee Mask by Mark Catley and Aisha Khan ended the evening’s performances.
If you haven’t yet been to the Underground Ballroom, this would be a good introduction to its charm. The evening is a ‘pay as you feel’ contribution and is worth a few quid of anyone’s money for a couple of hour’s entertainment. Free parking and home by 9.20pm. What’s not to like?