Danny Bowes, Robin Reed, Siobhan Doherty
(Credit Ken Stein/Runs with Scissors)
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Today brings with it a few new Babylonian items of note.
First off, Martin Denton at nytheatre.com has weighed in on the show with this review (WARNING – SPOILERS!). He is sympathetic and enthusiastic about the show’s ambitions, but does not feel satisfied by some of the dramaturgical choices we made. Still, it’s a fine, respectful piece, and an especially good read for those who may have already seen the show and are looking for another take on our monumental folly.
We offered discount tickets last week through a company called Goldstar, and we received some wonderful (if largely anonymous) feedback from Goldstar members who came to the show. The smallness of the theatre was mentioned in a couple of comments (yeah, we meant to get around to that but just didn’t have a chance – sorry, guys), but we also received some full-on raves. In particular:
“An immersive, hypnotic experience. We had a blast, and we LOVED THE LION!”
“I thought it would be too good to be true but it was great.”
“The event itself was pretty interesting, probably one of the more bizarre performances I have seen. There were as many actors as there were spectators, if not more. It was interesting to have the actors so close up. There were a few not-so-subtle political statements about the US presence in Iraq. Overall, I enjoyed the show, although it was kitschy at times.”
“WONDERFUL COSTUMES!!! WONDERFUL SCRIPT.”
So that’s nice.
Last night Jon Stancato of Stolen Chair posted an interview with me on the Stolen Chair blog. Their upcoming show, “The Accidental Patriot [et al]“ is, like BABYLON BABYLON, inspired by a combination of classical sources and film tropes, and so we are offering a ticket discount and promotional support with them, which I will be detailing in full later today or tomorrow. Meanwhile, I made sure to write different things in this interview than I did in the one with nytheatremike, so hopefully you will be able to read both without asphyxiating.
Finally, what a surprise it was to open this week’s New Yorker yesterday and find an extended piece by Daniel Mendelsohn on Herodotus and his Histories! Read it online – even though it doesn’t explicitly mention the Babylonian interlude, it does a great job of drawing out some of the reasons I’m so fascinated with the book, and why it’s so relevant to our life and times. It’s great reading for anyone who’s seen the show or is planning to.
