When a show this lauded comes to town, expectations are high. Traplord has garnered swathes of praise and incredible reviews since premiering in 2022. It even won an Olivier award for Best New Dance.
That’s quite a reputation, bolstered by that of its creator Ivan Michael Blackstock who is often described as a cultural innovator. It was certainly the feeling that hung in the air as the audience entered The Warehouse at Manchester’s Aviva Studios.
Discomfort is immediate as the slightly dimmed lights and jerky movements of performers already on stage, shining lights at each other and into the audience, make you wonder if you’re still OK to talk or if the show has actually begun. We settle and the chat dies down as the performers come together centre stage, the lights go down and the show erupts into life.
Over the following 80 minutes, we are bombarded by a barrage of light, sound, music, dance, spoken word, projections and, above all, images of toxic masculinity. Particularly, black toxic masculinity and the forces that trap young black men to adopt it. Through rap, video games, gangs, guns, the police, drugs, misogyny, sex and violence, Traplord’s hugely talented cast aggressively posture, point, pound, pontificate, presenting Blackstock’s urban nightmare of young men trapped inside their own stereotypes.
Traplord, image credit Camilla Greenwell
Recurring characters, like a man in a pig mask or one with bunny ears, help guide us through what can sometimes feel like unconnected vignettes, some of which work well while others fall a little flat. So, a section involving a deconstructed car evokes bewilderment, while another which translates a bank robbery into a romance is beautifully done. But, for much of the time, we are left to put the pieces together ourselves which makes any sense of narrative connection difficult.
Repeated displays of aggression can be exhausting and, of course, one of the dangers about a show examining stereotypes is how easily it can become one itself. At times it seemed that Traplord settled for showing us these stereotypes rather than exploring them, with the possibility of compassion, redemption and change arriving far too late in a finale which came across as trite and simplistic. Themes like mental health, community and, crucially, the roles of women, are hinted at but underdeveloped.
Still, there’s much to admire here. Technically, the show is flawless. Whoever put that sound system into Aviva Studios deserves a medal – it might just be the best sound quality of any venue I’ve ever been to. The range of movement and performance skills on show is amazing from this young cast and their energy and commitment are the best things about the show.
Hanging around after the show it was clear that it met with mixed reactions. For some, who stood to applaud at the performance’s climax, it clearly worked. Others felt something was missing. One young man, 18-years-old and visiting his first cultural venue in Manchester, said he found it repetitive and boring. But, looking around, I was struck by one of the most diverse audiences I’ve seen in a long time. Factory International has a done a great job at reaching young audiences from different communities and bringing them something full of energy and life.
For that alone, Traplord is a success.
Main image: Traplord, credit Camilla Greenwell
