House of Life - Udderbelly Underbelly - Review

Picture the scene, you’re walking towards the doors of a large purple inflatable upside down cow and a pastor decked out in gold, with silver heels and a sparkling beard is dapping glitter upon your cheeks with a broad and welcoming grin. It sounds like the start of a strange dream but this is reality, this is the Edinburgh Fringe and this is The House of Life, the enlightening experience that will guide you towards new heights of happiness.

Now on its third year at the fringe, and now filling the iconic Underbelly cow, The House of Life is like nothing you have ever seen before. Led by the Rave-rend (Ben Welch), the audience are guided through an eight step programme to ascension where we are reborn, invited to share our visualisations for the future and encouraged to celebrate the strength and power of ourselves and those around us.

Ben Welch is perhaps one of the most instantly lovable performers you could hope to meet as he makes everyone feel comfortable in minutes, clambering over seats, sharing high fives and beautifully treating every piece of interaction be it talking about dreams of the future and loved ones with care, love and respect creating a warm hug environment that makes everyone feel welcome.

But the Rave-rend isn’t alone in his efforts to bring happiness and enlightenment to the fringe crowd, no, he is joined by the endearing and multi-talented Trev (Laurence Cole), dressed not in glitter and sparkles but plainly in a grey suit, more office than party. But that doesn’t stop him joining him. Cole expertly live blends music with audience comments with a loop, plays the saxophone impressively and throws himself into the dance routines and it is the combo of the two that adds an additional punch of joy to proceedings.

The cow rings with the sound of egg shakers, applause and cheers as call and response games, catchy hilarious songs and high levels of audience interaction raise the roof. The idea of this simply being a crowd of strangers in a room is thrown out the window as Welch and Cole, through odd instructions, games and songs, create a space full of friends, somewhere you can turn to someone you don’t know and proudly say I love you in some beautiful sense of unity.

If you are looking for somewhere to loosen up, dance, play, sing and even possibly embrace a new outlook on life, then look no further than The House of Life and party the night away with the Rave-rend and Trev. For little over an hour, you are embraced in a warm glow and left with a feeling of togetherness that lasts far behind the running time.