Songs from a Car Park (Drury Street) – Tiger Dublin Fringe Review

You are met at the entrance to the Car Park by a Fringe representative in an orange t-shirt who directs you to the 10th floor. After a few minutes you are brought to the area where the performance is about to take place. It is a large ramp between levels 9 and 10 on the car park, a wide bay similar in size to any stage. Your seats are also unusual as you are directed to a car (three audience members in each one) where you wait for the show to begin. The music for the performance is on the car radio, and broadcast into your individual space. A young woman on roller skates kindly visits each member of the audience with a cone of popcorn, to give the full drive-in movie experience! I was at the 7pm show, and the sun was just starting to set. In the background beyond the car park you could see the Georges street arcade and the central bank as a backdrop.

On the ‘stage’ there is a single car with three cast members inside, two female and one male. They are dressed in simple clothing, with white slacks and shirt, with one of the female dancers with a yellow skirt. They look like a christian pop band, with their innocence and good looks, but once the performance begins they ruin that idea.

After the initial moments, they leave the car and start to perform. The piece shows a variety of styles and there are some memorable sequences. They vary in quality but at their best, they are creative and individual. The dancers attack one another, chase each other, strip to their underwear and dive into each others arms with impressive skill. It must be difficult to perform on concrete, but they do an admirable job and use the slope on the stage to their advantage on many occasions.

It is one of the more unusual settings for dance show that I have ventured to and top marks are to be given for creativity in that respect. As a high concept production, it is difficult to create work of a similar level to the idea behind, but for the most part they achieve it. There are a few moments where your mind wanders, but at other times it is quite captivating, despite the windscreen separating the audience and dancers. There is something special about work in different and unusual settings and this is certainly a memorable production.

Songs from a Car Park (Drury Street) runs until Sunday 14th Sept, 2014.

Location:Drury Street Park Rite Car Park – Level 10 Roof