Review: HUMBUG: SANTA’S CHRISTMAS DIVE BAR EXPERIENCE, The Vaults
Photo credit: Grant Walker
The Vaults lends itself well to immersive experiences, and from the moment we enter the venue, we are drawn into Humbug – a dive bar complete with live band, food, drink and a very festive welcome. But their guest singer has outstayed his welcome and now Christmas is in danger, because their headliner is none other than the big man himself - Santa!
If he doesn't get back to the North Pole soon, the big day may not happen at all. But he is so enjoying his time crooning to the punters at the Humbug Club, he doesn't want to leave! On top of that, Howard the Humbug Mailman had a few too many cocktails in Humbug last night and has lost all of the letters to santa, the band all have better places to be (at home with their dogs) and Daphne the slightly ditzy waitress wants nothing more than to make her own sparkling singing debut.
The premise is fantastically fun, and there are so few adult only spaces to enjoy Christmas, that Humbug could be on to a great thing, but unfortunately the idea gets somewhat lost in the execution. The main hall at The Vaults is very long, and if seated even half way back, the cabaret style performance cannot be heard over the noise of the audience, meaning much of the (slightly flimsy) storyline gets lost.
Billed as “The King of Christmas”, Santa cant seem to decide if he is a festive Elvis impersonator in Act One, or a hip hop garage DJ in Act Two. While both personas have their merits, and create fun and laughter, it leaves the character feeling a bit muddled. However, audience engagement comes into play when a conga takes place to ‘I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas’ and there is a heartfelt sing a long to ‘Fairytale of New York’ – potentially offensive slurs artfully skirted around!
There are many elements of the experience that have been thoroughly thought out. Each space is wonderfully Christmassy, and cries out for snapshots for social media. A themed cocktail menu compliments the dive bar atmosphere, and the festive street food available allows the audience to drink and dine as well as enjoy the show. Unfortunately, the delivery of the food and beverage offering was slightly chaotic last night, with order and pay apps not working and a very hard working floor team struggling to keep everyone happy.
Humbug has some frivolously fun moments, well considered venue dressing, and some strong theming, but would be better suited to a more intimate venue, where the chaos can be managed and the audience can more effectively engage in what is undoubtably a concept with much potential.
** Two stars
Reviewed by: Sarah Brown