Get on the Bussey

Pride of Peckham right now, in my book, is the Bussey Building. I keep telling people it’s an old cricket-bat factory that was saved from demolition in 2007. The second part is true. And whatever this multi-floored warehouse, tucked behind the hair-extension shops opposite Peckham Rye station, was originally, it is now one of London’s best venues. Seriously.

Hideaway entrance with street art by Phlegm

The building originally thrived as a rave venue and you’ll find the joint jumping come the weekends with club nights, and its roof more often than not thronged with revellers on summer evenings – as busy as Frank’s Campari Bar, which you can see on the other side of the railway line.
I’m a bit of a newcomer to the Bussey, but in the space of one month I’ve been to two theatre events there and will be coming back for more.
The first play, We Will Be Free, was the story of English history’s early trade unionists, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, told in the Mummer tradition with the two leads playing all the parts, as well as all the musical instruments. My pal Hilary had studied the period at O-Level, and we decided it was much more fun learning it this way.

Tolpuddle tales from a cast of two

My latest Bussey outing was on Monday night. This time it was for an Opera In Space (operainspace.org) version of Hansel & Gretel by 19th-century composer Engelbert Humperdinck. It was an immersive-style production and we kicked off in the bar with the crooning of cabaret singer Honey Rouhani, moving seamlessly into the first act featuring Hansel (mezzo Katie Slater) and Gretel (soprano Silvie Gallant).

Hansel & Gretel kicks off with a chanteuse

We then followed a ‘guide’ up the next floor, a spooky forest glade hung with green tinsel trees. In act two, we sat on the floor and watched as the children fell asleep with a song I think I remember my brother and I singing in a competition when we were under-tens.

The forest scene in act two

For act three we moved up another floor into a crisp, white set, where the kids came face to face with the witch, a menacing Rhonda Browne, dressed in skin-tight black and neon latex.

Witch on wheels

The singing was highly accomplished, the atmosphere wonderfully cosy and my friend Filippa was even pulled out of the crowd to do a little dance with Hansel.