Written by Bertie Watkins, and set in the Wild West, The West is an immersive and interactive theatre event that takes place in COLAB Tavern, a converted pub that is just a 10 minute walk from Elephant and Castle tube station.
This disused pub is the set for COLAB’s bespoke venue. It is meticulously transformed to an old western from saloon bar, a town hall and even a jailhouse.
The audience is encouraged to dress for a Western (jeans, checked shirt, neckerchief, hat etc) for this event. As I entered through the backyard there is an outside bar with a cowboy barman that thankfully serves regular drinks instead of moonshine. Sheriff Hank Olver (Owen Jenkins) invited us into the experience asking what we do.
You can be any western character, a blacksmith, a gun-slinger or a law-abiding marshal.
Luckily I was among an eager group of participants that were willing to fully engage in the character play. I do think children would absolutely love this experience.
Everyone enthusiastically responded with our best dodgy American accents.
Performers Chris Keegan as Doctor/GM, Owen Jenkins as Sheriff Hank Olver, Grace Dunne as Mayor Adelaide Olver, Sam Skoog as Bandit Francis Olver, really made this a fun filled event, full of humour, tension and intrigue.
They successfully engaged and encouraged the audience to fully take part in everything from town planning to a court case. From cowboy tricks, catching bandits, gambling, robbing a bank and smoking out the traitor in their midst this was a really fun night out.
A little disappointed that a lot of the experience for me took place in the town hall room which was the least impressive of the transformed rooms. My main task was to solve a riddle to find deeds to the land and negotiate buying the land with the landlady over a working antique phone. A few of the sideline participatory stories weren’t really developed and were superfluous to the main plot. As this involves a lot of improvisation, I feel the experience will improve throughout the running of the show.
Having said that, this is a really fun experience that I recommend you go to.
The West runs at the COLAB Tavern from 13 July – 1 October.
Running Time: 150 mins | Suitable for ages 13+
Listings information
13 July – 1 October 2022 COLAB Tavern, 16 Harper Road, London SE1 6AD Previews 13 July – 2 Aug Weds – Sat (see exceptions below) 7.15pm, Saturday matinees 2.30pm No shows on: 16, 20 July, 25 – 27 Aug, 24 Sept £28.50 | colabtheatre,co.ukY
T: @colab_theatre | Insta: colabtheatre | #COLABTheWest | www.colabtheatre.co.uk
