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.

Babel: Exclusive Reader Offer

Courtesy of AKA, I can offer readers of West End Epilogue an exclusive discount rate for Babel on Sunday 13th May: £25 down to £10. Call 020 7223 2223 or visit BABELLONDON.com promo code: Blogger.

Photo credit: Steve Tanner

The roots of BABEL go far back, beyond memory, to one of our first stories – ‘in the beginning the people was one’. These people felt compelled to gather, to create something extraordinary together, and so they built a city and the Tower. Over time both were abandoned, the people fled to the far corners of the earth and the first tribes were formed.

In 2012 the people are gathering again. The lost Tower has been rediscovered and its voice heard for the first time in living memory.

The Tower is calling out to people from all over London, from across the country and around the world. The people feel compelled to come here, to this last lost iconic site and the Tower that stands in its midst. Once again, the people is one. Our languages, our backgrounds, our cultures are different, but together we have been drawn to this place. Today is the day.

BABEL is a fable about the things that matter. The things that bind us together and keep us apart. It’s about the incredible things we can do together, the power of memory and our common humanity.
From 8th May BABEL is reborn as a story for 2012 in one of the last lost iconic sites in London, Caledonian Park in Islington. In a forgotten place, rich in histories, the people are gathering.
Babel is predicted to be the theatrical event of 2012. A spectacular outdoor show created for a major London setting, BABEL is staged through a unique partnership between WildWorks and Battersea Arts Centre and will feature a cast of up to 300. 

New Content

Hello there! You may have noticed that there's a couple of non-theatre reviews on the blog now - shock horror! I've been reviewing a wider range of things, just to develop my confidence as general culture vulture reviewer; and to get a place as an editor on Le Nurb (Brunel University's paper). I hope this is all still to everyone's interest! Everything is interesting stuff to see out and about in London, I've either been very generous lately or the culture scene in London is booming; I've given out more four and five star reviews in a month than I usually do in a year!

And just because I'm very excited, I'm posting the Sweeney Todd trailer again because in a week I'll be sitting in the audience! Also to come: an interview with Peter Polycarpou who plays the Beadle in Sweeney Todd, and a review of Cleanskin, the film he stars in with Sean Bean.

Swing your razor high! Sweeney...

Farewell to Priscilla the Musical



Richard Grieve, Don Gallagher, Oliver Thornton, in Priscilla. Photo Credit: The Guardian



I’ll admit immediately: it’s the end of its run, and I hadn’t seen Priscilla before due to my snobbery towards the ‘jukebox’ musical. However, Priscilla reminded me why London - poor, troubled London, is embracing the jukebox musical this year: the pure joy of it all! I felt practically old, it having been so long since I’d heard an audience stand up and dance and sing along. The smiles in this show are infectious, but (for me at least) the ballads therefore felt forced, necessary to the plot forumla; illustrating those moments in life where one might ‘feel a song coming on’. Yet I do wish that I had a personal orchestra and could spontaneously burst into song, so don’t blame the characters for it.

The ensemble were terrific (as I should expect by now), bursting with energy. Like in Crazy For You, this is a dance heavy musical, and it therefore is worth mentioning Kanako Nakano who’s sharpness and smiles always stood out. The production and costumes too were even more impressive than expected, by the end I felt blinded by all the glitter balls and sequins (not that this was a bad thing). It is a tremendous example of the spectacle we’ve come to expect as an audience. Dancing paintbrushes, levitating divas, gigantic heels and so much more: Priscilla literally sparkles.

Camp-ness runs through the veins of this musical. It not only dazzles, it waves its perfectly formed arse in the face of homophobia. This is a life-affirming story of three men who have already embraced the song ‘I am what I am’, and instead are pursuing much more personal goals; and yet the bluntness of the sexual humour occasionally just felt too crude, surrendering to stereotyping. Still, the three leads (Don Gallagher, Oliver Thornton, Richard Grieve) work seamlessly together; that powerful embodiment of triple threat. This all singing, all dancing show pulls it off because at the centre of it all, the lead stories act with heart; something such a vibrant musical could easily have fallen into the trap of foregoing for pure spectacle. But Priscilla has everything. The perfect show for the Christmas season.

P.S. When is the Palace Theatre going to undergo a renovation so that at the very least, fifty percent of the audience can see from their overpriced seats?