ADLFRINGE2021- Somnia – The Peacock @ Gluttony – 4K

There are a lot of shows out there that claim to be ‘adult’ or ‘naughty’. Some of them hit that mark more than others – but not many achieve this status quite as much as the very late night Somnia does.

Scheduled to start at the already quite late time of 10.50pm, we were all stuck in the queue for some 20 minutes past the start time. Frustrating though this wait can be (particularly in the cold – that autumnal weather sure struck quickly), once the line started moving and we took our seats inside the Peacock tent it was clear that we were in for a beautiful nightmare.

As the name suggests, Somnia is an exploration of the physical manifestation of dreams and sleep – which the producers, who apparently suffer from narcolepsy, know all about.

The show involves a woman who goes to bed and, while fast asleep, has a number of unnamed visitors. It is unclear if these visitors are angels or demons or simply succubi. Overall, the effect is both terrifying and mesmerising in equal measure, and extremely difficult to describe other than to say that it is a beautiful show.

A combination of extremely well-carried out aerobatics, acrobatics and burlesque, the show is sexy and macabre in the extreme. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at a skeleton the same way again.

Somnia is disturbing and uncomfortable – but intentionally so. If you are looking for something sexy, intriguing, skillful and a little bit frightening, this is the show for you.

4K

Leave a Reply