The Grand Babylon Hotel at Hull Truck Theatre Review
Written by Ashton for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Sometimes you spend an evening at the theatre and sit back, quietly enjoying the performance, perhaps offering a polite chuckle here and there. And then there are some evenings - like my evening at The Grand Babylon Hotel at Hull Truck Theatre - where the laughter starts early, continues throughout, and gives you that gleeful fuzzy feeling in your chest that only real good live theatre seems to produce.
As soon as the show kicked off, it was clear it wasn’t going to be a quiet, contemplative evening. Inspired by Arnold Bennett’s 1902 novel of the same name and brought to the stage by Clayborn Theatre, The Grand Babylon Hotel launched straight into a dance number before introducing us to the wonderfully absurd premise of American millionaire Theodore Racksole buying an entire luxury hotel simply because his daughter wants steak for her birthday… and the restaurant doesn’t serve it.
As you do!
What started as a rather extravagant dining solution quickly spiralled into something far crazier. I’m talking kidnapping, murder, mysterious disappearances, and even a couple of German princes. All of it turning the luxurious hotel into the setting for a gloriously chaotic comedy thriller. Chaotic in the best way possible, of course.
If you’re familiar with classic comedy thrillers, you may find parts of the story a little bit predictable. But it all felt part of the charm! Rather than trying to outsmart the audience, The Grand Babylon Hotel leaned into its playful absurdity, simply inviting us along to watch the mystery unfold in theatrical fashion.
There was a real mix of theatrical styles involved in bringing the show to life. Dance, mime, bursts of opera, physical comedy, and even a touch of good old fashioned slapstick. There was even a touch of audience participation in there for good measure!
The entire show was brought to life by just five actors, who seamlessly became a whole host of intriguing characters, switching outfits, accents and personalities at lightning speed! That’s all impressive enough on its own, but it was the commitment from the cast that really made it special. They threw themselves into each role with such enthusiasm that it became surprisingly easy to forget that we were watching just five actors up there on stage.
Behind the scenes, the technical elements worked just as hard to keep everything together. Props appeared and disappeared with perfect timing. Doors slammed and footsteps echoed as scenes shifted rapidly from one moment of chaos to the next. It was all cleverly choreographed so that, on some occasions, the mechanics of theatre became part of the comedy itself. And the comedy really did land.
I found myself laughing at multiple points throughout the evening. Sometimes at the dialogue. Sometimes at the slapstick comedy. As someone who’s always had a soft spot for a good murder mystery, I was probably destined to enjoy this one anyway, but the humour and inventive staging really took it to the next level!
The Grand Babylon Hotel served as a lovely reminder of just how chaotic and fun theatre can be. There’s something so fab about watching a small cast create an entire show on stage using nothing more than talent, timing and a well-placed prop!
If you’re after an evening of theatre that doesn’t take itself too seriously, delivers plenty of laughs, and reminds you why live theatre is such a joy, this one is absolutely worth checking into. Ding, ding, ding!
Plays at Hull Truck Theatre until 13 March
