Having launched on 27th March, An Evening of Meat is a unique and provocative dining experience about femininity, vulnerability, strength, stability, sensuality, power, and unbridled wildness which fuses expressive dance and indulgent dining to create and evening like nothing else. American director Kate March’s all-female creative collective use the tables as a stage while the audience eats. 
The show is designed to shock all of your senses, as evocative music fills your ears, an amazing 6-course meal caresses your taste buds and the audience watch the cast perform their exquisitely sensual, acrobatic dance.
As the audience enters the dining room, they are greeted by 4 scantily clad women ( beautifully designed by Lisa Von Tang) seemingly asleep on the trestle tables. As the music begins, the women begin to perform a mixture of raw improvised dance and interactions with the audience alongside seriously strong and powerful choreographed pieces.
As the food is served, there are no breaks in performance. In between courses, one of the fully choreographed and more hard-hitting pieces silences the dinner chatter around the room. With little space to move along the tables, the performers show extreme strength and poise, (as well as seemingly having a very high pain threshold as they’re on their knees on wooden tables for most of the performance) never knocking a glass over or stumbling when faced with spending time in stress positions, doing a headstand or some incredible yoga position, or interacting with the audience.
As the mistress, walks around she seems to be the only individual who can stand up fully, but is also there to encourage and control, offering praise and, seemingly, punishment too. 
The narrative was not entirely clear but to be perfectly honest, this didn’t matter so much to me. I also I think, if you have chosen to attend this event, you will have likely done some reading about what you’re about to see.
The dancing and performance was something else. The engagement with the audience was intense and mesmerising. Some people were clearly embarrassed with the interaction but many were clearly almost excited to be chosen to be a part of the performance.
The food was seriously incredible. Created by Michelin trained chef, Chavdar Todorov, we were treated to 6 beautiful tasting plates. All of them were amazing and the highlight of the savoury dishes, for me, was a sumptuous melt in the mouth rare breed pig cheek oyster (there are veggie and vegan options)
But the dessert was…well…it was the first time I took my eyes off the performers. A rich 70% Guanaja chocolate and olive oil ganache topped with sesame ‘ash’, coconut bacon flakes and vanilla salt. I am not a chocolate dessert fan but I could’ve eaten several and was very disappointed when I finished.
Tickets for the event are priced between £35-45. Many other immersive dining experiences are FAR more expensive and neither the food nor the show are as good as An Evening Of Meat. Anyone who likes something a bit different, a bit abstract, wants their perceptions and senses challenged, or loves amazing food, should get a ticket as soon as possible.
If you want to read an interview with the creator, please go to https://playhousepickings1.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/interview-kate-march-an-evening-of-meat-iam_concepts-thevaultsuk/
For more information and to buy tickets, go to www.thevaults.london / enquiries@thevaults.london or call 0207 4019 603
Playhouse Pickings 