Babur In London

The concept of opera as a form of political or social expression is not new, but is certainly much less commonly encuontered in our modern age. There’s so much potential in this vein - as was impressively taken advantage of by the producers of Jerry Springer: The Opera (as irreverent as the subject matter initially seemed to be). Conversely, Babur in London appears, on the surface at least, to be made of sterner stuff. It presents us with the tale of four potential suicide bombers in contemporary London who are haunted by the vapid ghosts of their own insecurity and lack of identity, as well as the more turgid phantom of a long-dead Mughal emperor.

Sadly, appearances can be deceptive. Whilst the instrumental and vocal abilities of the performers were undeniable and the execution faultless, there was somehow something lacking in the production - and I’ve yet to determine exactly what that was. Soul, perhaps. In less than an hour and a half, the Opera Group attempted to introduce us to four seemingly complex, conflicted characters, inspire debate on what it means to be muslim, religious or straddling cultures in modern society, and intoxicate us with a dark fairytale character straight from the exotic lines of eastern history. I suspect they may have taken on a little too much. Edward Rushton’s music is…pleasant enough; and perhaps that’s part of the problem. This isn’t a pleasant tale, although at times it seems as though it struggles to decide whether it wants to be a pressing exposition on difficult contemporary issues or an insightful, intriguing folk tale idly commenting on the constancy of the human condition.

As a form of distraction of an evening, it was curious enough to be interesting. However, I eventually left feeling as confused and dissatisfied as the protagonists of the production itself. Perhaps this was the aim..? I only wish I knew.

Rain (DI Reviewer), 25/06/12