​Vampomime Is A Quirky And Tongue-In-Cheek Alternative This Festive Season

Vampomime is a quirky, tongue-in-cheek alternative to your traditional Christmas panto. Armed with our holy water, we wander into the lovely B2 Studio having been warned about the potential chance of being maimed or gored. From the outset you know it’s going to be an anarchic hour of fun, I mean, we’re about to watch Vampires attempt to perform Beauty and the Beast…

An accomplished cast of 4 steer the story, opening with some traditional audience participation. It’s a little bit silly, but who cares? The audience are enjoying themselves. We are quickly introduced to Alan, played excellently by Graeme Rose; he’s hatched a plan that will turn their Vampire ensemble back into human form. He’s paired with accomplished actress Katy Stephens, who makes for a fabulously quirky Karen, the diva of Vampires who has just been ousted as Beauty. As she feuds with her lover, who’s unfortunately turned into smoke, they fight about the pretty new human actress on the scene. Impressively switching accents part way through, Miriam Grace Edwards displayed her versatility, as she took on the role of the only ‘human’, Denise.

Vladimir, the youngest of the vampires, causes the most problems. He’s young and he’s bloodthirsty. The audience are forewarned about his desire for blood and you could see people holding onto their holy water as he ventured into the audience. Played with prowess by Jack Trow there was a delightfully hilarious moment near to the end, mirroring an iconic scene from James Cameron’s Titanic.
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The use of shadows and puppetry resulted in many a laugh throughout, with a lot of references to Coventry’s ongoing road works and iconic landmarks that resonated well with the audience. With witty one-liners and shockingly awful (but hilarious none-the-less) puns, the show is a great alternative Christmas offering and, running at just an hour, it is a great substitute to pre-drinks.