The Meeples: XXX by The Artist Workshop (who we were able to chat with the choreographer of the show on our YouTube channel, which you can watch here) is a highly sensual and carnal show that highlights the importance of safe spaces, told entirely through the perspective of some of the most iconic puppets we all know and love. This one-of-a-kind, truly immersive production tells the story of the down-on-their-luck Meeples who have found refuge in an erotic nightclub after ‘felt friends’ became the latest target of the government. With a range of fantastic musical numbers and a collection of provocative performances, this totally unique theatrical experience is not only dark and sensual but also underpinned by a powerful message with a twist nobody sees coming!
One of the only similarities between this show and Bottom’s Dream, also by The Artist Workshop (which you can read our review of here), is the heavy focus on audience participation and immersiveness. The crowd are welcomed into the space by one of the higher-ups at Club Noir and are then guided to their seats by a range of puppetesque sex toys, erotic dancers and kink-inspired performers at the club. This helps to instantly transport the audience directly into the world of the club while also introducing the fact that this is absolutely a show for a more mature audience. The show itself follows The Meeples as they have been kicked off television, lost their funding and found themselves with nowhere left to go. They open their own filthy, drug-fuelled cabaret club, creating a safe space for all the lost souls to find community. I cannot help but think that this fictitious club is a clever commentary on the importance of maintaining queer spaces in the real world, as the characters mention the fluid nature of sexuality within the show itself. It also harks back to the ideas surrounding the Stonewall Riots, but in this show, it is ICE that is storming the venue in an attempt to eradicate the community that resides within it! Despite losing everything, it is only Kermit who finds some sense of success after funding has been pulled. However, once he attempts to reunite with his former friends, things start to spiral as he discovers they are not the same family-friendly crew he once knew. He encounters his former romantic flame, Missy LePig (played by the wonderful Peyton Conley), who has taken a much more executive role within the club and has moved past her love of her froggy friend. After clashing with the vibe of the club and trying to reintroduce guests to the show they once all performed in, he eventually joins in with the festivities of the club, including an eccentric scene where he partakes in recreational drugs, which is such a weird sentence to type but made total sense within the show.
It is only after this, however, that the darker side of the club starts to rear its ugly head, as he learns about the repetitive raids from ICE and some sinister experiments occurring within the club. The show takes an even more sinister turn as the Meeples discover that the frequent calls to the police are actually coming from within the club itself. This revelation drew audible gasps from the audience, as some are trying to demolish the safe space they have been drawn into from the very start of the show. This ‘man on the inside’ (if you could ignore the terrible pun about puppetry) is discovered as things take an even darker turn, with a series of deaths and murders revealing the true mastermind behind this war on the Meeples. The audience are made aware of the criminal behind the police raids, and this dramatic irony-style inclusion means that the audience are constantly on the edge of their seats, as they know things are only going to get worse before they get better!
In conclusion, The Meeples: XXX by The Artist Workshop is a fantastically unique production that truly immerses the audience into the heart of this seductive club while highlighting the importance of safe spaces for all people. The immense cast and the energy they pour into the show throughout help to keep the production engaging and exciting. From the very moment the audience steps into the Lime Studio at Greenside, they are transported into this erotic and lustful setting, with a wonderful in-character introduction in the foyer and the characters welcoming the crowd to their seats. This means everyone is involved in the show from the very moment the doors open. Every single person in this immensely talented cast goes above and beyond to capture the eccentric world the crowd have been transported into, while allowing the more powerful and impactful sequences to maintain their impact, with the twist at the end audibly inducing gasps from everyone in attendance. I would rate this show 5 out of 5 stars!
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