Tropicana

On our recent trip to the UK and Europe, we went to see a play called Tropicana. Our friends that live in London had heard it was unique, so they got tickets for the four of us.

I had read a review on the National Theatre website, but it just had a picture of some showgirls like you would see in Vegas and had a vague review that didn't stick with me.

The day we arrived in London, our friend Jim informed us that the tickets to the play were for that evening! I was a little concerned that I might fall asleep during the show, but I needn't have worried.

The play is put on by Shunt, an artists' collective, in collaboration with the National Theatre. The space that they used is at the London Bridge Underground station in London. We took the tube there from our friends' flat.

If you have any plans to go see Tropicana, don't read any further. I am warning you now! I am going to go into detail about everything we saw, so if you want a full sensory experience with no pre-conceived expecations, stop reading. Otherwise, come with me, dear reader...

When we arrived at London Bridge station, they were ushering in people in small groups through a door in the tube station. When it was our turn to go inside, we were led into a small room that had shelves full of cleaning supplies, brooms, mops other things you would expect to find in a janitor's closet. We stood around knowing that this must be part of the performance, but still weren't quite sure what to do. There was a man there that was dressed in overalls and looked official. He was splattering a Pine-sol scented cleaning solution on the floor and mopping. After a few minutes, he looked up, and asked us if were were here for the play. We all nodded and he said, "Oh, I thought you knew. You just go through there," he pointed to the door of a storage locker filled with jackets and reflective vests. We had to push the coats aside to get to the next room.

Once inside, we surveyed our new surroundings. We were in a large room that looked like a hotel lobby. Everyone was milling around. There was a sign that said "bar" and to get a beer, you shoved your money through a tiny opening and someone would shove a beer back at you. There were announcements that came on every so often over the loud speaker. They said things about "the machine" and that we should use the toilets now if we needed to, but they apologized for their poor condition and assured us that the toilets at the end were better.

Next, we were brought into an elevator in groups of 20. The elevator operator stood up on a chair and, I have to be honest, I can't remember what he said. He was bald and wore an outfit that you might expect a doorman to wear. It felt like we went up or down, but my friends swear that we didn't. Before we got off, he took a polaroid of everyone in the elevator.

Outside of the elevator, we made our way down a dank hall to a large room with cages that looked like they would hold chickens. Inside some of the cages were televisions. On the wall opposite of the cages, was a big chalkboard with strange equations and sketched figures. A man in tattered clothes was standing on a chair next to the cages. He appeared to be some sort of scientist. He made a speech about the animals that used to be there and the experiments that they did and how all the animals were gone now. He said something about his collegues leaving, too. Then he left.

Eventually everyone flowed out back into the hall. We came to a large room that had cement benches along the walls. We were well under the London Bridge station now. The room was all brick and had archways leading to an area that we couldn't see. We heard announcements to please take a seat, but to sit close together. I was feeling a little uneasy, so nobody needed to tell me to sit close to my boyfriend and my friends.

After everyone was seated, the lights went down. It was completely black. Then there was a low spotlight aimed through the archway. We still couln't see clearly, but we could see Tropicana showgirls dancing when they passed through the light. The lights went out again, and when they came back up, we could see some people in raggedy clothes that looked more like the scientist than the showgirls. They ran around through the spotlights looking frantic and lost. The rest of the first part is a little bit hazy to me, but I remember at one point the lights came up, and tatty scientist looking people picked up a pineapple and smashed it on the ground. At one point, one of the scientists leaves a small bag on the ground. When the lights come back up, they are on the floor with the bag over their heads. This all sounds odd, I'm sure, but let me add that it was also very disorienting to have the lights go out completely and not know what was going to happen next. It was actually a bit scary. At another point, the Tropicana dancers were dancing around and then the lights went down again. When the lights came back on, one of the actors was standing right in front of our faces! It really freaked me out!

Later, there is a large cage that rolls by with a man suspended inside. It goes back and disappears. Then, we see a white 50s ambulance get pushed through the space. Then it goes back. Then it comes back a second time, but this it is a black hearse and all the Tropicana dancers are in black outfits instead of orange, pink or yellow. We heard loud rock music being played, and folliwng the hearse was a guy that looked like Iggy Pop playing an electric guitar.

We were encouraged the follow the procession into the next space. The hearse was parked and the Tropicana girls were slithering all over it and dancing on the roof of the car. There were trapeze swings above the hearse and the dancers were swinging around and doing tricks.

A few minutes later, the scientists (two women and one man) told us that we could go to the bar for the intermission, but to be back in 10 minutes for the autopsy. By this point, I really needed a beer! So we went to the bar area and stared at each other for a minute. We were blown away!

After the intermission was over, we went to a different space that was set up with a traditional audience/stage area, but I used the term stage area loosely. On the stage stood the scientist from the animal cage room. He was standing behind a podium as if he were doing a presentation. He did have a presentation of sorts. Images were being shown on two round screens as he spoke. To his left, was a long slab with a sheet over it. After his speech, he and the other two scientists pulled the sheet back. It was the elevator operator! The scientists pulled out scalpels and argued over where to cut him.

After a bit, they decided to cut him open. I was thinking that his head was real, but his body was a dummy. I was wrong. After they cut him, one of the scientists reached her hand through the elevator operator's chest cavity and it came out of an opening below the slab. You could tell it was too long to be her hand, but the effect was still creepy. Then, the elevator operator's head pushed up through his chest cavity. Then I knew that the whole body was a dummy. It was pretty gross looking.

The lights went down and there was some running water sound because they were washing the scalpels. The the whole place shook and it was dark, so I couldn't tell if were were moving (my friends didn't think that we were). Then the lights came up and everyone on stage was gone, but there were two blood splatters on the white tile.

The end.

I wasn't sure to make of the end, but the audience was invited to go back to the bar area for more drinks, which was all needed. The Tropicana showgirls were there selling shots of tequila for 2 pounds a shot. We decided to have one - why not, right? One of the showgirls asked me where were from. I told her Seattle and she asked when we had arrived. I told her that very same day! She said that the play must have been especially surreal for us with jetlag! I agreed.

We stayed for a while and had a few drinks. Next to the bar were two glass beverage cases filled with Tropicana Barbie type dolls! I love Barbie dolls, so we got one in a pink costume.

All in all, it was quite an experience. I'm sure I've left things out because there were so many details and strange things going on. I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart, but if you are in London and want to go see something different than Cats or Phantom of the Opera, then this is for you. Plus, where else can you get a Tropicana Barbie doll?