Babel **

Photo Credit: Steve Tanner

Babel is like a seed which despite sunshine and water, just didn’t grow (maybe it was over-watered, there was enough rain to turn Caledonian Park to mud). Babel is a site-specific, promenade play from the mighty collaborative forces of: Wildworks, BAC, and Lyric Hammersmith to name a few. It is a brilliant idea, but sadly poorly executed.

A show which promises ‘an immersive theatrical experience of truly epic proportions has a lot to live up to, so forgive me for expecting fireworks. As you enter a surreally transformed Calendonian Park; where one woman does her ironing in a tree, or another practises her samurai sword skills, you’re hopeful. And then, white sentinels begin to welcome you and chant ‘we’ll wake them soon’ with wide eyes and creepy voices; it feels slightly forced, but you’re still willing to embrace this otherworld. And then, you reach the open field centred around the tower, and as you chew upon your cupcake homage to Gandhi, that delightful taste is made a little sour as you realise; the artistic vignettes in the forest were meaningless. Babel urges you to slow down, and really look at the world; I did, and yes, although there was an obvious display of a diverse London, a lot of imagination and little thought went into it. 

The story of Babel is derived from the biblical account of a tower being built following the Great Flood, where man gathered and spoke one language. The show obviously supports the idea of nations gathering together in London for the 2012 Olympics. What’s lacking is a sort of glue to hold the the forest vignettes and tent activities/performances together. At the point a story line finally emerges (a weak and strenuous marriage of Orwell’s ‘1984’ themes and the plight of Judaism being without a nation), and the crowd should gather in defiance, there is no spirit of unity. There was always the risk with a piece like Babel that English manners would prevail and the audience would be unwilling to participate. So  Babel massively required the pace and attack of a stronger, inspiring story line (if not a couple of fireworks) to achieve this. On one hand, the personable story of one family carries Babel; and on the other hand, the forced speeches feel solitary and beyond believable. It is simply too cautious.

Concerning the promenade experience of Babel, the biggest problem with a production of this scale was definitely the waiting. I was always waiting for a turn at something, for something spectacular to happen, or just anything at all. With an audience and cast of that size, Babel on a practical level required larger spaces to operate within, as opposed to several small stages and tents.

I have always wanted to see a promenade performance on this scale, and sadly, Babel is an example of why it hasn’t been done before. A saving grace however, is the production’s use of music to signify a universal language between people from every background and the sense of celebration this induces at the ending. It may not have been spectacular, and long-awaited, but did remind us of the spirit which Babel aims to celebrate.