Review: THE CHURCH OF THE STURDY VIRGIN, VAULT Festival

A closed casket arrives at the Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel. A couple of merry gravediggers beckon the crowd while they wait for the funeral director, who will lead the congregation to the Church of the Sturdy Virgin. The audience follow, "somber and dignified", into a surreal universe where uncertainty reigns and death envelops kindly.

Macabre sense of humour, arcane rituals, and a peculiar relationship with the afterlife come together in The Church of the Sturdy Virgin, Dank Parish's new immersive theatre piece at VAULT Festival. They take over a damp and imperious structure located just a stone's throw off the main venue with plenty of rooms and alcoves where the company will morbidly play with their victims - sorry, new members of the church.

Led by Nigel Munson as the holy man chosen by the Sturdy Virgin herself to lead her followers, the gathering will help with the preparation and delivery of a berserk funeral service. As far as immersion goes, the cast do a tremendous job in transporting the attendees to an entirely different world.

The level of detailing is genuinely phenomenal: meticulously decorated corridors and nooks complement the natural ambience of the setting to create an eerily alluring environment. The experience varies depending on the disparate roles people are assigned but the cast delivers an otherworldly adventure guaranteed to make you die from laughter.

The Church of the Sturdy Virgin runs at VAULT Festival until 17 March.

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