Judith Schrut munched apples, threw ping pong balls and couldn’t stop laughing during Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music: the First Act.
Live knitters, brass musicians and backing singers stage left. Harp, strings and temperance choir, stage right. The legendary Taylor Mac, aka the gender fluid pronoun ‘judy’, in a multi-coloured explosion of glitter and tinsel, spectacularly centre stage.
That’s my humble attempt to describe New York Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music: The First Act, on stage last weekend at the Barbican Centre. Part drag cabaret musical, part hysterically funny storytelling and very large part audience participation, the show re-imagines the history of the USA by way of its most popular and subversive songs. Audience participation bits included synchronised apple eating and beer-enhanced ping pong, laying your head on the lap of the stranger next to you, and re-enacting the homophobic backstory behind Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Performers, lighting and thrilling costume design (by the uber-talented Machine Dazzle), were all a joy to behold. Particularly outstanding were judy’s backing musicians and singers, supported by a gorgeous assortment of dandies, pukers, hussies, hookers, temperance choir and gold lamé-wrapped guest star, Le Gateau Chocolat.
The gig, part of the Barbican’s adventurous Art of Change season, lasts 3 hours and covers the American decades 1776-1806. There are no intermissions or breaks. The audience is encouraged to come and go during the show, tho’ I have to tell you most of us were glued to our seats, preferring to risk an accident rather than miss any of the relentless fun. The full show is meant to last 24 hours, non-stop, but to date that’s only been done on one marathon occasion. That’s an hour per decade, with 24 spectacular costume changes and 246 songs. The First Act will be hard to follow, but Taylor Mac has promised to return with more disruptive decades soon. I can’t wait!
Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music: The First Act is part of LIFT 2018 and the Barbican’s 2018 season, the Art of Change, which explores how artists respond to, reflect and can potentially effect change in the social and political landscape. The Barbican Centre is located at Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS. Find out more at barbican.org.uk.
