“I don’t sound enough…” have you ever questioned how your voice identifies you, how our gender is demonstrated through the pitch, tone or intonation of our voices? Well, for the creators of Adam’s Apple, this is a proven stimulus to create a musical exploration, presenting original songs and an authentic performance structure. Adam’s Apple in collaboration with LIFT Festival, transcends a powerful message through the medium of speech, using individuals and unique organs to demonstrate the fluidity of gender and voice.
Adam’s Apple part of Thomas Carter Projects (UK), is all about the voice, discussing themes of self expression, gender identity and the journey one voice takes during a lifetime. Created by Alex Bulmer, an artist who has an extensive past within the arts sector, embarked on research to create a series of songs that tell the journey of a voice, incorporating conversations with both men and women, families and medical teams.
Adam’s Apple set in a vocal clinic, is a working development and this London premiere is a sharing of the workshop process. In its London Premier, this was a first draft and it has a long road of development to follow, however this is exciting. The amalgamation of themes being explored and original songs, offer what I think could be a spectacular contemporary musical. This show is contagious, it is merely impossible to sit there without smiling, often joining in and humming along. It is joyful, enveloped in an informal atmosphere willing the audience to interact.
The show discusses the experiences of four individuals, all attending the one vocal clinic in the search of ‘being heard’, whilst in the process of ‘liberating their voices’. Engaging conviction and personal experience accompanies the personally centred content, whilst we move through eight vocal circles. The show, 30 minutes in total follows a linear structure and is broken up with notes of development and scientific definitions of the voice. This show set up as a pedagogic learning experience whilst celebrating our own identities is engaging.
Adam’s Apple presents an energy, and a dynamic that ignites an exciting progression and working development. It is a show that offers opportunity for gender, individuality and identity to be explored, through original songs, inventive lyrics and infectious melodies. The shared, collective nature of the piece creates an inviting, informal environment, where the audience feel included. I leave the production singing the songs which can only mean success, for this I congratulate the cast and look forward to future developments. 2.5/5
Review written by Meg Mattravers.
Adam’s Apple was shown at Hoxton Hall from Thursday 2nd until Saturday 4th June as part of this year’s LIFT Festival. For more information on current productions, visit here…
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