by Zahid Fayyaz

Based on the 1963 album by Charles Mingus, this production transferred from Shoreditch Town Hall after a run last year. The dance/theatre production set entirely on the Barbican stage – the audience join both the Clod Ensemble and the Nu Civilisation Orchestra on stage for the show. With the space done up as a jazz club, the audience sits and stands around the dancers and the musicians during their performance.

The audience is encouraged to join in and dance with the performers, with an emphasis on the expression of how you feel and how you want to dance, without judgment. The album in question was made in order to be danced too, a position which this collaboration is determined to fulfill. The show is in two acts, with the shorter first half consisting of three, new compositions from the orchestra. The second half performs the seminal jazz album “The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady” of the title, in full.

The audience of the first sold-out performance certainly joined in with the dancing in the centre of the stage, which adds to and enhances the atmosphere. This is wildly entertaining, with the Clod Ensemble also taking centre stage for their solo dance segments in wonderful sections showing off their flexibility and inventiveness. The sound in the Barbican is great as well, meaning that every note is clear and even those sitting down are having a ball.

This is one for those who love jazz and those who also love dancing. It is an amazingly fun evening out, and well worth watching if or when it comes to London again. Hopefully it will have a longer life, as the production will be a lingering happy memory.

The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady runs through 21 September.

The Play’s the Thing UK is committed to covering fringe and progressive theatre in London and beyond. It is run entirely voluntarily and needs regular support to ensure its survival. For more information and to help The Play’s the Thing UK provide coverage of the theatre that needs reviews the most, visit its patreon.