This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2013/mar/04/de-gabay-review

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
De Gabay – review De Gabay – review
(7 months later)
There are some places where you are acutely aware that you are walking over layers of human history. Butetown, close to Cardiff docks, is one of them, an area that has seen wave after wave of immigration and assimilation creating a richly diverse community. Enter a Butetown home and you may hear several languages; both praise to Allah and grace; be offered tea spiked with cinnamon; watch Somali TV and the BBC. Butetown is the world in one place.There are some places where you are acutely aware that you are walking over layers of human history. Butetown, close to Cardiff docks, is one of them, an area that has seen wave after wave of immigration and assimilation creating a richly diverse community. Enter a Butetown home and you may hear several languages; both praise to Allah and grace; be offered tea spiked with cinnamon; watch Somali TV and the BBC. Butetown is the world in one place.
De Gabay means "the poem" in Somali, and this site-specific production from National Theatre Wales celebrates Butetown's Somali residents, its thriving young poets, and all those living in the historic area, squeezed between the city and the regenerated Cardiff Bay.De Gabay means "the poem" in Somali, and this site-specific production from National Theatre Wales celebrates Butetown's Somali residents, its thriving young poets, and all those living in the historic area, squeezed between the city and the regenerated Cardiff Bay.
This production encompassed visits to homes, a parade with a puppet camel and a duel between one generation and another outside the Coal Exchange. At the end there was the obligatory community choir (lovely) and a striking image as a huge puppet, covered in poetry, walked into the sea.This production encompassed visits to homes, a parade with a puppet camel and a duel between one generation and another outside the Coal Exchange. At the end there was the obligatory community choir (lovely) and a striking image as a huge puppet, covered in poetry, walked into the sea.
The Butetowners' anger at the contrast between the deprivation of the area and the smart flats and restaurants of Cardiff Bay just two streets away, spilled out in a final section held at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, where politicians are the target of an agitprop poetry slam. As one of the cast members said: "De Gabay: the bullet loaded in our tongues and spirits."The Butetowners' anger at the contrast between the deprivation of the area and the smart flats and restaurants of Cardiff Bay just two streets away, spilled out in a final section held at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, where politicians are the target of an agitprop poetry slam. As one of the cast members said: "De Gabay: the bullet loaded in our tongues and spirits."
But far too much of the six-hour event lacked structure and content, as Jonathan Holmes's woefully disjointed production led the small audience on less of a merry dance than a desultory shuffle through the streets. It would have been perfectly possible to attend the entire event and still come away knowing little about the history of Butetown and how its communities interact.But far too much of the six-hour event lacked structure and content, as Jonathan Holmes's woefully disjointed production led the small audience on less of a merry dance than a desultory shuffle through the streets. It would have been perfectly possible to attend the entire event and still come away knowing little about the history of Butetown and how its communities interact.
A fatal lack of fact, personal testimony and stories combined with a surfeit of words, an absence of strong images and metaphor, and poor use of video made the performance distinctly underwhelming. I would have willingly swapped the entire day for the 10 minutes I spent listening to a woman talking about her Butetown childhood and her dad, who might have rivaled Tom Jones.A fatal lack of fact, personal testimony and stories combined with a surfeit of words, an absence of strong images and metaphor, and poor use of video made the performance distinctly underwhelming. I would have willingly swapped the entire day for the 10 minutes I spent listening to a woman talking about her Butetown childhood and her dad, who might have rivaled Tom Jones.
The real work has been taking place in the community over many months, and that's terrific, but its public manifestation reminds us that while "participatory" may be a big buzz-word in theatre at the moment, forgetting the audience experience is at your peril.The real work has been taking place in the community over many months, and that's terrific, but its public manifestation reminds us that while "participatory" may be a big buzz-word in theatre at the moment, forgetting the audience experience is at your peril.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.