You need to watch Electrolyte

"We are a blip. A speck of dust. To be wiped off the face of time like you might a bike chain's rust. But to each of us, we are everything"

You need to watch Electrolyte

I think 'Electrolyte' might be one of the best pieces of theatre I have ever seen. I was excited to see the show all I knew was that it was gig theatre. Gig theatre is a genre-bending combination of traditional live music gigs and more interactive theatre. 

‘Electrolyte’ made my heart soar and broke it at the same time. The whole show was a rollercoaster of emotions in the perfect way that theatre only sometimes achieve. Every feeling that the main character Jessie felt, I felt too. Every minute from the beginning to all the stunning moments during the show was polished and thoughtful. 

I was blown away by the incessant energy that the whole performance had - from the production side to the company of outstanding actor musicians. The actors never stopped moving and dancing around the stage, which really embraced the gig said of the performance. The use of spoken word poetry to narrative the story set a fast rhythm for the show that left the entire audience reeling. Many audience members, including me, were moved to tears due to the raw emotions and how real the story felt. Some parts felt loud and epic and other moments were quiet and powerful.

The lighting was utilised perfectly to show the feelings of characters. The strip lights at the back of the stage lit up almost too brightly, showing that Jessie was overwhelmed. The single spotlight and back-lighting when a character was singing her solo and the other actors were dancing made the show feel like a gig. 

Music was weaved throughout the show - beautiful solos and duets and incredible music from the multi-instrumental musicians. I loved the variety of music styles and even my parents, who had come with me to watch the show, enjoyed the rapping and folk music. Special kudos must go to the phenomenal singing of the character Allie Touch, who left the audience stunned with her gorgeous voice. 

'Electrolyte' also carried an important message about mental health and found family. The story centers around Jessie and her friends. Set in Leeds, we see Jessie struggling to find herself after the loss of her father. It digs into the importance of connection and support during the hard times. Without revealing too much of the plot, I can say that it tackled a less common mental health issue that is quite hard to tell through theatre. Overall, the show was thrilling and relevant and had so much heart. 

Personally, I believe that creating awareness of mental health can be extremely important to lift the taboo on talking about mental illness. Although it sometimes harder to diagnose and treat, mental illness needs to be prioritised just as much as physical illness, as figures of young people with mental illness continues to sharply rise. One essential way of doing this is through thought-provoking, accessible theatre. ‘Electrolyte’ is a show that everyone should watch, not only because it a ground-breaking piece of theatre but because of its contribution to the conversation about mental health. 

I would 100% recommend this show to everyone and tickets can be found here.

Author

Sadhana Narayanan

Sadhana Narayanan Contributor

Reviewer. Creator. Soldier. Spy.

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