Vicky Sparrow reviews a spectacular promenade performance that masters even the boring walky bits.
The sheer energy and variety of BAC’s new promenade piece makes it a fascinating smorgasbord of vignettes and shorts. From cabaret to immersive light therapy, this show blends strange scenes and experiences together in a loose plot that tasks the roving audience with searching out the details of one very special story. This is the story of historical Battersea resident George Neighbour who was caught in the 1909 fire of Arding & Hobbs (now the big Debenhams at Clapham Junction). Groups of audience members are lead through BAC’s beautiful Old Town Hall by an enthusiastic guide and a series of intricate clues and instructions on tiny hidden notecards.
One challenge for promenade theatre is always to keep the ‘walky’ bits in-between scenes interesting (especially for kids) and here, wandering through the ordinarily off-limits Victorian Town Hall is itself a fantastical adventure. Through the laundry, into a yard, above the huge central glass dome and up into the rafters – the whole labyrinthine structure is opened up, and you really feel like an explorer. This treasure-hunt style of the promenade works surprisingly smoothly.
The static scenes (housed in various rooms of the Old Town Hall) are created by different performance makers and showcase brilliant interactive storytelling, often including a subtle message. In Bryony Kimmings’ wacky installation she appears stuck to a wall, only to be freed by the laughter and tomfoolery of the assembled audience – as a heart-shaped cabinet instructs us: laughter is the best medicine. Kazuko Hohki’s narrative about a bee who’s afraid of flying is a delicate and immersive story told by an entrancing master raconteur. In the ‘Momentorium’ attic laboratory we find ourselves surrounded by strangely glowing jars which catch drips falling from all over the ancient roof. Each jar turns out to symbolise a life, as we are urged to fill our jars with a steady stream of happy moments and special memories. It is only the finale that is sadly something of a disappointment. With questions left unanswered, the last scene inexplicably descends into a kind of school disco, complete with some unfortunate, cringe-inducing rapping to a Justin Bieber song.
This production is partly about staging participatory family theatre as a force for social inclusion (it does remain more affordable than most London shows) and partly it’s just a warm-hearted celebration of wonderment and the power of the imagination. If the kids' production is anything to go by, the ‘Intrepid Explorers’ adult adventure (which roams around other historical buildings of Battersea, led by a brass band) and the ‘Early Investigators’ tots’ play-space versions will also be more than worth the ride.
by Vicky Sparrow
The Good Neighbour runs at BAC until 4th November with one promenade for adults (13+) and one for children aged 6-12.
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