“This is not a play, and deffo not a musical”, we are told via flash cards at the start of I Made You A Mixtape, Response Theatre’s production currently playing at The Cockpit. It’s a sort of dance show, driven by movement and music.
Nine young women are at a 90s dorm party. All are, after this night, facing or about to encounter a life-changing event – a job change, a wedding, a baby, rehab, coming out, moving out, dropping out of school, an expiring visa, ending a relationship.
A loud 90s soundtrack tells the story through songs supplemented throughout by live guitar and drums. This is a relatively short show, just 50 minutes, so it doesn’t have time to get boring.
A dancer is matched with a scenario, and the music acts as a partner to set up a reaction in movement. Director and choreographer Christie Lee Manning has developed a style and language that feels both very 90s and very modern.
The nine “iconic women” who make up I Made You A Mixtape! are Abbey Devoy, Alexa Stevens, Amy Punter, Clair Gleave, Jennifer Kehoe, Katrina Lopes, Lauren O’Sullivan, Maggie Trepanier and Tatiana Ivanova.
The musicians are drummer Oliver Davies and guitarist Tom Kirkpatrick, who turn the soundtrack into gig theatre and a party atmosphere – dancers invade audience spaces, hand out glow sticks, and at one point, invite a man from the stage during “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)”.
The soundtrack includes Nirvana, Blink-182, Barenaked Ladies, Spin Doctors, and Meredith Brooks. Aside from the dance routines, the cast not directly involved play games, chat, and support each other.
I Made You A Mixtape! references the music cassette culture of the 90s, where favourite songs were assembled in 30 or 45-minute collections. Easy to do now via Spotify, but then it required significant thought and a bit of skill.
This show is about responding, truthfully, to what is happening in the moment. The Response Movement Method makes the music a dancer’s scene partner rather than another person.
Although the choreography does not change from one performance to another, the response does, making each performance of I Made You A Mixtape! unique and immediate.
The design of the show also reflects its setting, referencing Friends, Twitter, camcorders, and more. These are brought in by the dancers as they ‘arrive’ at the party, immediately breaking the fourth wall.
This is a show that invites you to the party as a guest, not simply an audience member. It blurs the lines between fiction and truth, and offers a chance to remember through our own connection with the music.
I might have made the lyrics stand out a bit more in the sound design to give them more of an impact, but that’s a small thing to pick out. Don’t go looking for a linear narrative for these women – instead, enjoy the process, the skill, and the exhilaration of nine dancers offering their best moves on the stage.
Four stars.
I Made You A Mixtape! was at The Cockpit from 12-14 Jun. You can follow Response Theatre Company on Instagram.
The show is at the Edinburgh Fringe this August.