There are actually two events going on in Stratford at the moment for which the Twitter hashtag #savethesurprise could usefully apply. There’s Danny Boyle putting the finishing touches to the Olympic opening ceremony, of course, and there’s also this revival of Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd’s award-winning theatrical journey for just one participant — “spectator” would be way too passive a word — at a time.
The appeal of this piece lies in its complete ability to surprise, so a review perforce must tread tentatively (all the while ensuring that it has the appropriate flat footwear and comfortable clothing). I could say “Mozart”, “aubergines” and “slides”, but you wouldn’t be much the wiser. The point is that, one by one, we hurtle, sometimes literally, down a very 21st-century rabbit hole, there to engage with scene after scene in a frenzy of hyperkinetic activity.
The organisation involved is eye-watering and each tableau is immaculately staged: how on earth did they get the permission to let us … And where did they find all the … But of course, I can’t say more. My overwhelming concern, though, is what, if anything, this all adds up to. I worry that the glut of recent site-responsive work, of which this is undoubtedly in the vanguard, is conceived above all to put the audience at their unease, to cause maximum discomfiture, with the result that it leaves us physically shaken rather than emotionally stirred. I, for one, expect more from theatre than that.
You Me Bum Bum Train runs until July 26, and then from Aug 15-Sept 19 (0845 120 7511, barbican.org.uk).
For the latest shows and events visit our Going Out pages.
Read More
MORE ABOUT