Synopsis The story follows Tintin's quest to save his friend Chang, into the snow fields of the Himalayas where the legendary abominable snowman is rumoured to live. Tintin is joined on his journey by a host of characters including the irascible sea dog Captain Haddock.
A few days ago I enjoyed a trip to The Barbican to see the theatre production of Tintin. The play is based on the story ‘Tintin in Tibet’, in which Tintin sets out to find his best friend Chang, who he believes has survived a plane crash.
The show opened with the unusual scene of Tintin’s dream. It was exciting and I felt it perfectly created the feeling of one of those mind boggling bad dreams that wake you up in the middle of the night. The exuberant music in this first scene lets you know that you are in for a treat!
The story follows Tintin, Captain haddock and Snowy the dog’s journey to find Chang, and although I thought Tintin and Snowy gave great performances throughout the show, I did not feel the same way about Captain Haddock’s performance. He was unconvincing and unemotional. He shouted his lines and did not suit the character. On a good note, Tintin was the opposite. He was emotional and spoke his words well. I warmed to him more as the play went on and when he was reunited with Chang I had a tear in my eye. Snowy was a great, fun and very sweet character, and I thought it was a good effect that the audience could understand what he was saying but not the other characters. He is definitely one for the kids! Throughout the show the chorus played many other characters, working hard at doing amazingly quick changes of clothes and personalities. They helped to bring the show to life and the fun comic-strip effect could not have been achieved without them.
Not all of the play was light, jolly material though. When Tintin and the others arrive at the top of the mountain upon which the plane had crashed they find the plane with many dead bodies still inside it. Tintin searches inside the plane for Chang but cannot find him. The corpses then sing a chilling song ‘it’s so cold being dead…’ bone rattling stuff!
Another character is the yeti, who (believe it or not) is actually quite sweet in a King-Kong, misunderstood kind of way.
The show has a satisfying comic-strip style happy ending, which leaves the audience happy too. Overall it is a very enjoyable experience with great music and mostly brilliant performances. It’s a very fun day out and I would recommend it.
- 80.1.224.8)
18 Jan 06
They put so much energy into the first 30 minutes that it inevitable flags a bit afterwards - particularly for children, as the wonderful comedy is replaced by serious storytelling. Still, it's inventive, brilliantly staged and with terrific performances.....and a lot better than most seasonal fare. - 86.139.76.41)
30 Dec 05
Having been a huge fan of Tintin as a kid I had high hopes for this production which were pretty much all met. The whole cast is very strong and the little cameo appearances in the dreams from Calculus, Thom(p)son et al are an absolute joy. Haddock however steals the show with a torrent of Herge's inspired profanities delivered to perfection. With us the jury was out on Snowy (2 thought him annoying, 2 cute) and for me I had a hard time with Tintin's Essex-boy accent. Kids will love it, adults will remember what it's like being a kid and dig out those dog-eared comics. Hilarious, s little bit dark and at times very moving, I couldn't recommend this higher. - 139.149.1.203)
15 Dec 05
This starts off really well, with lots of energy, vivid characters and well-judged staging. But as the evening wears on, the play descends into lengthy set-pieces (like the dangling on climbing ropes) which are simply boring. All of the life goes out of the piece in the second act. By the end, myself and my friends were simply dulled and uninterested. The one dimensional nature of the characterizations doesn't help. It could have been good, if it weren't for the very poor script. - 86.139.178.125)
10 Dec 05
The stage was fascinating because it was triangular. There were loads of characters. If you were there you would have wanted to be a character. It is amazing. I would recommend this to families. - 212.85.15.66)
09 Dec 05
Tintin in Tibet is a thrilling Herge adventure brought to life by the barbican theatre. the costumes are acurate and exagdurate the characters. The scripts tell the story perfectly with some of the quotes from the comic. the speceil effects add a nice spice with footprints in the snow and aeroplane seanery, it has been done really well. the flooring gives the perfect impression of the mountain showing how empty it is. with a good contrast of feelings between characters
The play starts with a gripping and mysticl dream, armed with gripping fight sequence, scary moments and a true sense of adventure, this play is perfect for all the family. - 212.85.15.87)
08 Dec 05
Being lucky enough to get tickets to the preview,it was a pleasure to see such an original production of Herge's favourite son.The stage effects and the acting were of the highest standard , especially the lead role.The brilliant dream sequence opening meant that the audience was gripped immediately and the children who made up the majority of the audience were never to sure whether to laugh at the comic turns or shiver at the Yeti or bodies on the crashed aeroplane.If you can get tickets go in see this , you'll be in for a festive treat! - 212.85.15.83)
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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