Month: April 2026

Accessibility Review of ‘Feel The Beat’ By Jodie&Co

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Hi everyone and welcome to yet another review, but this one is going to be very different.

I was kindly invited by Jodie&Co to come and see ‘Feel The Beat’, a fully immersive and completely accessible dance show!

This is by far the best fully accessible show I have come across in quite some time. From the very moment you walk in the door, you are greeted by an ‘Access Guide’, and they start by asking how best they can assist you. There is a full table of samples, from props to materials that the dancers themselves are wearing in various costumes. Once the show is about to start, you are offered sighted guiding to your seat. Seating options differ, including two seats with a gap for your guide dog, single seats with space, or seats with other members of the audience around you. Under my seat, I found a fluffy cloud, which I was curious to find out the purpose of.

Once the show started, I found out that audio description was fully embedded into the show itself, featuring descriptions of the dancers, the different costumes they wore, and how their bodies were moving during various dance routines. They even described each setting as it was being set up, and what props were going to be used—for example, a large bin of cotton wool or ball pit balls. They also gave warnings for sounds if they felt the noise might disturb some people, or, in my case, warned me they were about to pour a load of plastic balls onto the floor—just in case my dog got excited, which luckily she didn’t.

A rectangular table covered with a black cloth filled with sensory and promotional items. On the left side of the table, two large display boards lie flat; they are mostly black with yellow and purple text that reads “FEEL THE BEAT” and “Visual Story & Access Information,” and they each have a photo of a person moving to music. In front of these boards is a large, mound-like mass of shredded white plastic or paper strips, like a big pom‑pom. Next to it are several sheets of shiny red and orange plastic material laid out flat. Further along the table, there are tangles of thin cords or strings in neon yellow and purple colors. In the middle of the table sits a clear plastic bag partially filled with small, multi‑colored, reflective pieces, giving a sparkly effect, and beside it there is another clear bag containing light blue soft material. Near the center‑right is a fluffy pile of white stuffing or cotton‑like material, with some loose, iridescent fiber‑optic style strands and blue and green ribbon‑like strands spread beneath or around it. To the right are several rectangular blue textured pads stacked together, and above them is a folded piece of pale purple, finely striped fabric. Three grey plastic chairs with dark seats are lined up behind the table. In the background on the right, a red fire extinguisher is mounted on the wall, and the floor is wooden with visible planks.

Throughout all of this, they used a large amount of soft music along with soundscapes to help set the scenes, alongside lighting. This ranged from simple classical music to sounds of waves and the beach. I found this to be very relaxing and calming at times—and so did my dog! There were also various moments within the show where the audience was encouraged to come and interact by walking through the space, allowing you to become fully immersed in the setting itself. Once again, the ‘Access Guides’ were on hand to assist with this and provide sighted guiding, which I did take them up on at one point.

It was very clear from start to finish that this company truly cared about accessibility and had deeply considered all aspects of it to make sure this show was as accessible as possible. I would class its level of accessibility for people with sight loss as platinum tier, and this is the level that all shows should strive to reach.

Not to say that other shows don’t think about accessibility—certainly those that offer audio description and touch tours do—but this show went above and beyond what was required and truly excelled at it. People with sight loss were considered throughout the entire production, from writing to lighting and props. This type of show isn’t something I would usually choose to go to, as I’m more of a traditional theatre-goer who prefers plays and musicals. However, having seen this, and having been kindly invited, Jodie&Co have set the bar incredibly high for the next time I see a show like this—and I don’t think many will reach it.

‘Feel The Beat’ by Jodie&Co is a must-see for sure! If you’re like me and see this advertised and think, “I’m not sure if this is for me…”, then honestly give it a go—you won’t be disappointed.

All the dancers—Faith Prendergast, Jay Yule, and Shivaangee Agrawal—did an amazing job in making the show the top-tier standard it is. This show definitely deserves a run in London, and I can see it going far. Get your tickets now so you can say you were there at the start! I’ll leave a link to Jodie&Co’s website here.

Until next time,
The VI Critic

Accessibility Review Of ‘All The Happy Things’ Written By Naomi Denny

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Hi everyone, and welcome to another review!

Once again we’re back at The Mercury Theatre in Colchester for ‘All The Happy Things’ By Naomi Denny! 

This show has a small cast of three starring Naomi Denny, Gavin Dunn and Michaella Moore.

With this show being staged in The Mercury’s Studio space, raw art was very simple with a purple background with two doorways lite up by LED strips which I thought was a really helpful touch as then to was more able to see the case coming through! The set it self was very simple with only a few stools and a bench, placed in various positions to determine the place that they were trying to create. Combined together with a great use of sound design, it was easy to work out where the characters weere at any given time. 

Described as dark comedy, ‘All The Happy Things’ tells the story of Sienna, a young woman who has lost her sister due to a tragic accident. A few months later in a dead end job, she’s still coming to terms with the loss of her sister Emily and struggling with mental health, whilst struggling to juggle a relationship with her partner Sam. But the one thing that Sienna is still coming to terms with is that she’s is still seeing and having conversations with her dead sister. 

A collage of childhood birthday photos. In the main central photo, two small children with medium brown skin and curly dark hair sit facing each other at a wooden table. The child on the left is leaning forward and blowing toward a small round birthday cake with several lit candles. That child wears a light-colored top and blue jeans. The child on the right is smiling, watching, and holding a fork, with a plate of cake in front of them. That child wears a light shirt and blue overalls and sits in a wooden high chair. The table is sturdy with thick turned legs, and the cake is on a white plate with a white cloth or napkin under it. The background shows a doorway and wooden cabinet doors in a home interior. This main photo appears slightly torn and taped at the top, with rough white edges on the right side, giving it a scrapbook or nostalgic effect. Faded, semi-transparent photos are layered behind it, showing more images of the same children at different moments: smiling close-ups, another angle of the birthday cake, and casual candid shots. The overall color tone is warm and slightly faded, evoking older printed family photographs.
A minimalist theater stage set with cool blue lighting. There are three large, slightly angled translucent wall panels across the back of the stage; the left and right panels each have a tall rounded-rectangle doorway outlined with vertical LED strip lights that glow white with a hint of warm color. The center panel is solid and leans slightly, giving the whole wall a stylized, off-kilter look. On the floor in front of the wall is a pale blue oval or rounded shape that contrasts with the surrounding light gray stage floor. At the center of this blue area stands a simple rectangular wooden coffee table with dark legs; on top of it are a couple of sheets of white paper. Under the table, near the middle, is a black object that looks like a small bag or case. To the far left, just in front of the wall, is a small side table with a dark metal frame and wooden top. On this side table are a folded light-colored towel or cloth and some colorful rectangular items, possibly books or props, along with two small bottles or containers. The background beyond the set is all black curtains, and the lighting on the set is primarily blue from above, giving the panels and floor a soft, cool glow while the surrounding stage remains darker.

This show is simple, and dialog driven with very little to no physical scenes aside from a sexual suggested scene and a dancing scene. It also had a good level of jokes and comedy sprinkled throughout which was very good and had the audience laughing out loud. The story demonstrates how a sibling might act after losing another sibling, but also how grief can effect each person differently, but then also you can come out at the other end of the tunnel. 

Naomi and Michaella do an amazing job conveying the almost imparting relationship that Sienna and Emily have, alongside Gavin Dunn who plays Sienna’s partner Sam and also her work boss, and what other family and partners do to support their partners during this difficult time! But they all did an excellent job!

Unfortunately I didn’t see an Audio Described or Touch Tour available, which would have only added to the enjoyment of the show. Even though yes, the set is simple, and simple props, something like Audio Description should always be available for people with Sight Loss. A Touch Tour would have been very simple and easy to put on for audience members and allowed the cast to let them know of their character more deeply and maybe little secrets about them. Hopefully this is something this production can look into for future shows?

But overall, please don’t miss understand me that this show was an absolute joy to see and would happily see it again, with its amazing cast and story. The story is great, and comedy timing was top tier! If you do get a chance to see this show, you’ll be missing out if you don’t spend an evening out watching this. 

‘All The Happy Things’ has unfortunately ended at The Mercury. So I would definitely look up this show online and see if its coming to a theatre near you soon! 

Until Next Time,

The VI Critic