They Folk You Up, Your Mum And Dad

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 108 months ago
They Folk You Up, Your Mum And Dad ★★★☆☆ 3

rove

Londonist Rating: ★★★☆☆

They fuck you up, your mum and dad. All that family history, all those stories they place on your shoulders as a child to signify who you are, where you've come from. Except, as J. Fergus Evans points out, those stories are often wrong, or misremembered, or twisted to show the teller in a better light. But by then those misremembered stories have already become part of you; if the wrong tale has turned into an emotional crutch, is it as valid as the truth?

Rove is a show about storytelling, family and — don't run away — folk music. Turns out folk songs have a similar etymology to family anecdotes in how they change over time. With the talented and nightingale-voiced accompaniment of Rhiannon Armstrong (who at one point borrows an audience member's shoes to perform a Québécois method of percussion), we're treated to a mixture of real personal anecdote, tall tales and song; an interwoven tapestry of gently emotional storytelling that's really quite beautiful.

We will also say this: Londonist has spent most of the last two weeks being ill. The kind of cold that makes you wish you were dead. And of all the painkillers and hot toddies and Strepsils we've downed, nothing soothed us as much as Rove. Not just a show, it's medicine for the soul.

Rove is on at The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford, until 22 March. Tickets £12/£10. Londonist saw this production on a complimentary ticket.

Last Updated 12 March 2015