A re-telling of a Greek myth. An evening of
gypsy jazz in a Parisian music hall. An afternoon in the Grand Hall of the
Battersea Arts Centre.
That’s already quite a lot of layers,
without throwing in silent movies, ballet, food, choral music and all sorts of
other things too.
I went to see the matinee of Little Bulb
Theatre’s production of Orpheus at
the Battersea Arts Centre on 20th April, and came from the London
sunshine into a Parisian-style bar/cafe area before reaching the Grand Hall
itself.
Like Secret Cinema, this piece of theatre
was not going to be confined to the stage or even to the auditorium. Yes, most
of the music and acting took place on or near the stage, but the menu of French
cuisine being served – and the accompanying wafts of garlic across the room –
meant that the audience could not only watch and listen, but also smell, taste
and touch the Parisian music hall setting.
We were lucky enough to be shown to a table
in the auditorium that was pretty close to the stage. In our cabaret-style seats
with our drinks on the table in front of us, it felt almost more like going to
a gig in a pub than to the theatre.
In fact, there was a moment after the
interval – when the cast were showing off their impressive musicianship in the
‘Musical Interlude’ – that I almost forgot I was at the theatre at all. This
was suddenly a gig – a very good one at that – and I’d have happily listened to
their gypsy jazz all afternoon.
Except, no I wouldn’t, because then I’d
have missed Orpheus.
Perhaps I should explain. The central
premise of this production is that Django Reinhardt, the legendary gypsy jazz
guitarist, is cast in a Parisian music hall production of Orpheus. So we are told the story of Orpheus and Eurydice as if it
is being presented to us by French musicians and performers of the 1930s.
Apart from the music, the story of Orpheus
is largely told in silent movie style, with exaggerated mime acting and large
captions projected on the stage. Orpheus/Django himself (Dominic Conway) never
utters a word throughout the whole piece, using only gesture and guitar to
communicate. I heard more than one audience member say that they were reminded
of the film ‘The Artist’.
Our Edith Piaf-alike Eurydice (Eugenie
Pastor) compères the evening, and the two leads are supported by a cast of
actor-musicians who throw ballet parodies, French stereotypes, puppet animals,
and some accomplished choral singing in to the mix as well.
Aside from the gypsy jazz (vibrantly played
by the whole cast), one of the highlights for me was the mesmerising
counter-tenor vocal of Persephone (Tom Penn), which suddenly ramped up the
emotional factor and reminded us that we weren’t just here for the jazz.
Lastly, I want to give a mention to the
front of house staff at BAC, who were friendly, warm and welcoming, and who
really seemed like they were enjoying themselves and enjoying the production.
This wasn’t just a remote piece of theatre
on a stage but a living, all-encompassing event.
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