Virtual theatrical offerings like the BBC's
Lights Up festival have been a godsend in terms of keeping some form of theatre going during lockdown and reminding us of what we want to get back to, but they've done the live arts a service even when they don't quite hit the mark: Shows like
Orpheus in the Record Shop come with the distinct feeling that they really are missing a dimension when you're not there in the room. Written, composed and performed by Testament, this was a show premiered to a socially distanced audience at Leeds Playhouse during one of the thwarted attempts to come out of lockdown in autumn 2020, and Aletta Collins' production has been reimagined for an (almost) empty auditorium by James Brining and Alex Ramseyer-Bache. Named after the mythical musician better known for his trip to the Underworld, Orpheus owns a failing record shop that trades in vinyl of all genres, but with a focus on his own preference for hip-hop, Northern Soul and funk.
