The West at COLAB Tavern

In its tenth year as a company and off the back of a successful run with Crooks 1926, The West arrives with a lot of promise.  

Before heading into the now tawdry, but cosy Western theme-renovated “auditorium”, immersees are warmly greeted by Adelaide (Grace Dunne) and Hank Olivr (Owen Jenkins), who “run” Olvertown and are keen to know of what skills you can bring to regenerate the sandstorm-ravaged town. Upon entry, audience members are placed into a tongue-in-cheek prayer service before being divided into deputies, town rebuilders and bandits as it transpires that service-leader Sam Skoog’s Francis Olver is not a pastor but a brigand, bent on taking over the town.

Finding oneself in three different subplots offers patrons the opportunity to watch the production from a different perspective if they were to return. However, as the immersive and theatrical elements are both lacking, this technique alone is insufficient to charm anyone to come back. 

The tasks that audience members are given range from delightfully challenging escape room puzzles to juvenile drawing exercises. Though the encouragement from the cast is wholly well-meaning, some audience members are rushed to finish (especially when there are hasty attempts to get the various threads to crossover) or given instructions at such a fast pace it is too much to satisfyingly fulfil. 

This palpable sense of disarray feels an unintentionally continuous aspect of the production, apart from moments the audience are united at the end of both acts.  In those instances, the audience are glued to the earnest interplay between characters.  

The general sense of confusion, though, is down to the fragile narrative foundation of the show. For a start, the tenuous storyline always feels nonsensical (especially as mother and father had no idea their son was an outlaw), yet the rushed execution of the show in both acts and the embarrassingly outlandish deus ex machina that tries to justify the far-fetched premise feels stunningly lazy.  As such, this Wild West venture feels little more than a thematic excuse to beguile entertainment-seeking punters.

Yes, for those who are willing and comfortable to participate (and the actors are very keen for patrons to participate), it is an enjoyable evening.  Audiences, though, should not enter The West seeking a skilfully crafted production as the outcome is a host of ideas that provide a nice immersive experience without the sense of theatre.

Francis Nash

The West is at COLAB Tavern until 1^st October 2022. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.