Sadler’s Wells East, London
There is a cartoonishness at play, but a coldness too, in this shadowy tribute to the ‘weirdo’ outsider

Birdboy is billed as a show for audiences aged from seven upwards, but plenty of seven-year-olds (and older) would be unnerved by how dark and shadowy this piece by acclaimed Irish choreographer Emma Martin is, especially with Dunk Murphy’s eerie soundtrack. Its long opening sequence sees solo performer Kévin Coquelard dancing and lip-syncing to a frenzied series of songs and audio clips at manic pace, as if on the verge of a breakdown.

It’s a virtuosic performance from Coquelard, who is working incredibly hard (but perhaps younger viewers will only see his clownish abilities). A rusty old car is parked on the stage, which Coquelard tumbles into, over and through, repeatedly. Later on, he hurtles through the air in a flying leap, more than embodying Birdboy, the imagined alter ego of this lonely character, the one others call a “weirdo”, an outsider – the kind of kid this show is a tribute to.