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Synopsis The play explores an extraordinary conflict in West Africa under French occupation. It shows how a dispute over whether a certain prayer should be recited 11 or 12 times leads inexorably to hatred and massacres. The question of violence and the true place of tolerance make this epic story more than ever relevant today. Running time 100mins with no interval. Age guidance 14+ BITE10
Less a show than a play and less a play than a meditation, 11 and 12, Peter Brook’s production of a religious dispute over the number of times a prayer should be recited, is the exact opposite of epic theatre. It’s a whisper in the dark that creeps into your bones and unsettles you with its intellectual purity.
It’s the sort of Brook show that makes you think you’re not really good enough to live in the world, let alone go to the theatre. It eschews any noise or abrasion. It is beautifully done and exquisitely lit. It expresses quiet horror at the thought of warfare and massacre stemming from one little prayer bead. And it chills the blood, not warms it.
The simple spirituality in Brook’s work is a complex map of mystical journeys and undertakings. But no other director could create a scene in which the colour of excrement is discussed, with turds and toilet paper, and make it not only inoffensive, but almost charming.
The doctrinal dispute is told in the form of a third person narrative fable, adapted by Brook’s longstanding collaborator Marie-Helene Estienne from the work of Amadou Hampate Ba, whose book Tierno Bokar is the source of both this piece and its precursor seen here a few years ago.
Brook is drawn to the issue of the place of religion in everyday life, not to draw moral conclusions, but to live through frightening contradictions.
His mixed-race actors – American, Palestinian, African, Spanish and French, with a Japanese musician (Brook’s regular accompanist, Toshi Tsuchitori) who sits on the side of the red strips of carpet with a battery of drums, xylophones, and wind instruments – are themselves the embodiment of tolerance and collaboration that the whole project represents; it is co-commissioned by the Barbican, Brook’s own Bouffes du Nord, and the Grotowski Institute in Wroclaw.
I just wish I could love the 100-minute show as much as I admire it, even though lines like “God is the embarrassment of the human mind” test one’s patience for a second or two. But, again, no other director can take the cliché of a boat ride in an improvised hammock of red silk and make that work, too. And but still more, while the issues are super-humane, the atmosphere is a little too pious for total comfort. Which is probably what Brook is aiming for.
The story is fragmented and often it's difficult to understand what is going on. The pace is very slow, as it is intended to be "philosophical", but in reality sometimes it is just boring!
The only great thing of the play is the Japanese musician who is really excellent!
On the whole a sad production for a great director like Peter Brook! - Carlo
28 Feb 10
For a director who reinvented the British theatre so brilliantly, this 'play' is a sad coda. It is not drama. It is an overlong account of a religious dispute which appears to me to have no resonance whatsover to our lives. A sad and frustrating event. - fred
27 Feb 10
I've got used to Brook's minimalism, but I'm afraid this one just doesn't have enough pace and the story-telling doesn't have enough depth. It looks lovely, is often inventive and the performers are excellent -it just isn't substantial enough, I'm afraid. - Gareth James
See also The Pit. Opened 1982. The Barbican is home to the internationally acclaimed bite programme, featuring a diverse range of the most exciting new theatre, dance and music from around the world. Bite has established firm relationships with leading international artists and its impressive list of Artistic Associates includes; Deborah Warner, Michael Clark Company, Cheek by Jowl, Fabulous Beast and Afroreggae UK Partnership. Whilst continuing to support the work of established companies, bite seeks to enable young and emerging artists to present work at the Barbican. Recent bite seasons have included music from the favelas of Rio, Shakespeare from Japan, an Icelandic Peer Gynt, puppetry from Canada, traditional dance from Cambodia and cabaret from South London. Bite work extends beyond the 1166-seat Barbican Theatre and the 200-seat Pit into non-traditional spaces, often blurring the boundaries between performer and audience and enabling an even greater number of people to enjoy its programme.
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