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REVIEW: Mixtape @ The Dun Cow, Sunderland

Posted on May 18th 2017 by Whats on Northeast

Words: Georgia Knight for Cuckoo Review

Mixtape transferred to the Dun Cow pub in Sunderland for this 80s night, and some shuffling of the cast members took place. This however, is far from a warning or complaint, as the performances were still greatly entertaining and the location was nice! Plus, Sunderland has a need for more cultural events so the addition of Mixtape to the Sunderland arts scene is beneficial to the community.

Those who aren’t familiar with Mixtape should know it has quite a unique format. The show is a music quiz, but a lot more than that. The cast act out funny scenes based on a song, using the lyrics and a bit of ad-libbing. Each night has a certain genre or time period for all the songs to be linked by – so as the night was an 80s night, the songs were a mix of 80s hits. The performances can’t go on longer than the songs and the audience have sheets of paper to guess the artist and song title. The winner of the quiz, with the most points, will get the much-coveted golden mixtape and the best thematically dressed audience member wins a silver mixtape.

The songs were a diverse range, despite all being from the 80s. For example, there was David Bowie’s ‘Dance Magic Dance’ from the movie Labyrinth, Run DMC’s ‘Walk This Way’ featuring Aerosmith and Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’. Mixtape was fun and entertaining and a little bit competitive! I am happy to say I got 39 points, which is a pretty high score – I was only one point away from winning! I did, however, win the silver mixtape for wearing a particularly sparkly silver bomber jacket of mine with a leopard print lining. In addition, I also gained a Wham record – which was a delightful surprise – and I got involved in one of the comedy sketches (I was made to be an ironing board – don’t ask!).

Mixtape is one of those shows that has you leaving on a high, whether you get one point or forty-two; it’s just so energy-filled and funny! I have never had a miserable night at a Mixtape performance. However, I did have an issue with the night in that some audience members were Googling the answers – something that never happened in the arguably more formal location of Live Theatre…

This review originally appeared on Cuckoo Review, a site dedicating to developing the skills of young writers in partnership with venues across the North East. For more reviews from young writers, visit the Cuckoo Review website.

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