The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady, Barbican Theatre Review

Written by Emily K-N for Theatre and Tonic.

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.

---

For three nights only, The Barbican theatre stage is transformed into a jazz club to play host to Nu Civilisation Orchestra and performance company, Clod Ensemble. The space is set with cabaret-style table seating and quickly fills up to capacity with people eagerly anticipating what’s to come. 

Before the main show begins, some of the dancers walk around the space, chatting with audience members, creating a feeling of inclusivity and community from the start. Then it’s time for the evening to begin. Chloe Carterr hosts the show with warmth and friendliness and immediately builds a rapport by asking the audience where they are from, with the opportunity to cheer when their area of London (or beyond) is called out. It then becomes apparent that audience members will have the opportunity to get up and dance with the performers throughout the show. Clod Ensemble base their work on the idea of moving to music to experience it more fully and, as the evening progresses, it’s clear that the professional dancers and audience members alike do just that. 

The first half, noted as a “warm up”, consists of three new tracks written by UK-based artists Romarna Campbell, Peter Edwards and Paul Clark.  Audience members are invited up to dance, although there is no pressure put on those who don’t want to. From the very first track, a joyful atmosphere is created and, for those not participating, it’s a case of sitting back and enjoying the exceptional jazz orchestra and soaking up the energy of a room full of people getting completely lost in the music. 

During the second half, we’re treated to Charles Mingus’ big band masterpiece, The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady, played in full. Woven into the big band feel are influences from the cutting-edge jazz and experimental music of the 1960s, South American music, waltzes, hard-edged blues, 20th-century classical music and Flamenco. The music is evocative and powerful and works in perfect combination with the stylised choreography from Clod Ensemble. Whilst there is still a lot of audience participation, this half of the performance showcases the talents of the professional dancers. Some get their moment in the spotlight, whilst the others sit at the side, and there are also some very effective group sequences.

This immersive production is like nothing I’ve seen before, full of joy, raw emotion and celebration. Before the performance begins, host Chloe Carterr tells us that it’s not about how it looks, but about how it feels. From the general buzz in the air and the reactions from the audience members who took part, it’s obvious that being swept up in the moment and surrendering to powerful music feels fantastic. 

At Barbican Theatre until 21 September 2024.

★ ★ ★ ★