‘Brilliantly Strange’ Crow Descends on The Vale for One Night Only

A genre-defying spectacle that one reviewer insists “should immediately have a cult following” lands at The Vale arts centre in Mossley on Saturday, May 24. Crow, the latest creation from one of the UK’s longest-established outdoor performance companies Avanti Display, fuses live music, comedy, magic, poetry and projections into a 40-minute experience that begins as a straightforward concert before spiraling into something altogether more surreal.

Three musicians arrive with their instruments, setting up for what appears to be a serious gig. But as Seaming To’s inventive musical score—drawing from her work with Homelife, Graham Massey’s Toolshed, Robert Wyatt and Matthew Bourne—fills the space, the performance fractures into ridiculous acts of conjuring “more Tommy Cooper than David Blane.” Sleight of hand, video projection, the cawing of crows and a persistent egg expand this comic universe, suggesting ideas both profound and absurd.

The piece, conceived by Bill Palmer and developed with Chris Squire, Paschale Straiton, Seaming To and Semay Wu, features words by Lou Glanfield (IOU) and dramaturgy by Mark Long (People Show). After enchanting audiences at Timber, Kensington and Chelsea Festival and Stockton International Riverside Festival, this rare indoor adaptation brings Avanti Display’s outdoor theatre magic inside The Vale’s walls.

“Crow” runs from 7-9pm at Vale Mill, off Micklehurst Road, Mossley. Tickets operate on a “donate what you can” basis with a £3 suggested minimum. The show is recommended for ages 14+.

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