Five thousand years old it may be, but the vital spirit of the ancient epic of Gilgamesh fights on in London Bubble's exuberant outdoor, promenade production.
Somewhat abridged and simplified by Farhana Sheikh from the original clay tablets, this is the tale of the tyrant king who battles and befriends his nemesis Enkidu. Together, the bosom buddies set off on a prehistoric road trip slaying monsters, before Enkidu is himself slain by the spiteful gods - leaving Gilgamesh existentially gutted and determined to find the secret of eternal life. In terms of mythic power and classical adventure, it's all here, from homoerotic heroics to sex-war rivalry and personal and public tragedy.
Jonathan Petherbridge's direction reproduces the lost world of the story with its animist world vision, using people as props and props as people.
Part of the genius of his direction is to reproduce Gilgamesh's heroic journeys over land and sea, as those of the audience over urban and woodland terrain. Meanwhile, Janis Hart's design adds colour and flamboyant ogres, rendering the style of the production halfway between kindergarten play and resourceful visual theatre. But between Lawrence Evans's choreography and Thomas Johnson's Romany music with Moorish chanting, the production also carries a primal potency, displaying both cruelty and wonder.
Aside from brilliant touches such as showers in trees, Gilgamesh's deep-sea dive beneath a billowing sheet and puppet creatures great and small, the real feat is the marshalling of the 110-strong company. Lead by professional actors, the cast involves local people of every age, creed and colour - enhancing the sense of public ritual. In the circumstances, it would be easy for Charlie Folorunsho's Gilgamesh and Daniel Tuite's Enkidu to lose their individual identity, but both men carry the story's sense of tragedy and comedy with dignity and pride.
A rough and ready account of this fabulous tale it may be, but it's also inventive enough for adults and simple enough for children.
? Creekside SE8, 2-5 August, Oxleas Woods SE9, 9-12 August. Box office: 020-7237 1663.
Gilgamesh
