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Mail sent to Jonathan Petherbridge
Sun 25th July 2010
Dear Mr Petherbridge,
Last night we saw Sirens of Titan at
Sydenham wells Park.
Just wanted to say what a great
evening we had...really really enjoyed it.
Loved the way we moved from scene
to scene in the park ( and passed mini performances
on the way), the hot chocolate, the \\\'goof ball\\\'.
Thought the whole show was beautifully presented,
very original, very detailed, amusing, thought provoking,
and I found bits very moving. I have to say also what
a very great writer kurt Vonnegut was....a real giant.
We felt if your show should be in an important inner london park
..it was that good.
Thanks a lot...look forward to next year.
Austen Pinkerton
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We too went to see The Sirens of Titan at Sydenham Wells Park last night, we had a fantastic time, we went last year to see The Odyssey.
We think the London Bubble Theatre company are brilliant, such talented people and so innovative, the way the performances are set, how they use nature, they're singing they're acting,the costumes, the stewards everything - love it!
Can't wait for next summer's show.
Sam, Dave and baby Frank (he came too!)
Sirens in Sydenham
Dear Bubble Company,
Thank you very much for a very enjoyable performance this evening. 'The Sirens of Titan' was a very inventive and amusing treatment of a serious theme and you used the park settings magically. Even the weather was kind and gave you some beautiful evening skies. I hope that the rest of your park season will be successful.
Best wishes
Stella Jeffrey
Councillor for Lewisham Central
Sirens Feedback
27 July 2010
We saw Sirens on Saturday - very good performance of a complicated story but well done.
J Thompson and 10 year olds.
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28 July 2010
Saw this interesting feedback on an audience member's blog -
http://basilexposition.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/the-sirens-of-titan/
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Dear Owen
Thank you very much.. me and my guest had a great time at the performance last night.. Well done!
And there were also many compliments from the audience about my lovely park.
Regards
Susan Wise
Councillor Susan Wise
Perry Vale Ward and Cabinet Member for Customer Services
London Borough of Lewisham
Review
Sydenham Wells Park, London - Saturday July 24th 2010
Kurt Vonnegut was throughout his writing career a surrealist master held in the same high regard by his fans (of which, I am one) as Philip K. D**k, Theodore Sturgeon, J. G. Ballard and very few others. Like Ballard and D**k, he was one of the few Science Fiction writers to transcend the genre. Not for no reason was he regarded as the true heir of Mark Twain in American literature; a rascally presence with a warmly humanist heart. So it goes, but not often.
There is no doubt Vonnegut would have approved of a loose-knit 'community' theatre company putting on a production of one of his works in parks in South-East London. There is also no doubt he would have approved of the techniques employed in engaging the audience with the material including getting the assembled throng to carry their seats, stools and rugs to various parts of the park at changes of scene. It did seem as though it was maybe getting a bit too late and dark for the final scenes to be seen clearly, but this was all a tactic to make the flaming bins hoisted on poles in the final scene mimic the methane fires of Titan.
There were bound to be a few first night wobbles with the script and some of the 'stages' used to present scenes but these were minor and just made the humanist connection more profound. Greg Page as Rumfoord is engagingly charming (he also plays Noel Constant and two other roles), Eric MacLennan as Malachi Constant leaps into the part with enthusiasm and wit, Adebayo Bolaji as Boaz and Zephryn Taitte in two roles seem to be having the times of their lives, but the show is stolen by Kate Rawson as Beatrice, although the script lets her down a tad at the end by not transmitting the characters vacuous nature a little earlier in proceedings. All of the company and stewards are wonderful hosts as they guide the audience around the park from scene to scene.
The production goes on at various parks until August 14th. A list of venues can be found at www.londonbubble.org.uk and although 16.00 a ticket may seem a little steep, it's a fun and entertaining evening out (weather permitting, which it fortunately was on the 24th) which will leave you with a smile on your face. I will also be stumping up my 22.00 to become a stakeholder in the Fan Made Theatre venture where the company poll their sponsors for material to dramatise.
I remember Mexicons past having strong dramatic content (I chaired number IV which featured a Geoff Ryman play and a re-enactment of the Philip D**k Metz speech), so it wouldn't be amiss for maybe an Eastercon to contact the London Bubble people, especially if the venue has a park close by.
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I came to see Sirens on Tuesday evening in Sydenham Wells Park and it was a fantastic experience. I've never been to a Bubble production before and I was really impressed by the quality of the storytelling and magical atmosphere created. I enjoyed the promenade aspect of the performance, it made you feel really involved in the story. I'd definitely attend another Bubble performance in the future.
Helen Corbett
News Shopper Review
NOT to be confused with the sword and sandals fantasy Clash of the Titans, this fun and frequently hilarious sci-fi fantasy is promenade theatre at its best.
Making its way across the parks of south-east London, Sydenham's lush and undulating Wells Park was the perfect setting for the tour's first leg.
From being kidnapped by Martians to becoming a messiah, the play tells the tale of one man's bizarre space odyssey.
As the audience, quite literally, follow the characters from scene to scene, you can't help but be utterly charmed by the performances and the tremendous amount of thought which has gone into adapting the action to fit the landscape of the park.
There are also some neat little touches which further immerse the audience in the drama, such as the chewy bon-bons, or 'goof balls', which are handed to everyone to aid breathing on the oxygen-starved Mars and the cup of hot chocolate which was a welcome warming treat in the slightly chilly evening air.
With brilliant flights of imagination and gloriously silly props, the park is transformed into the wastelands of Mars one minute and the eerie caves of Mercury the next.
So utterly engrossing is the play at times, it's easy to lose your way and forget where you are.
The plot may be wonderfully convoluted but forget about that.
Just pull up a chair or rug and enjoy the ride through time, space, infinity and beyond.
by Matthew Jenkin
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Thank you for inviting me I was there last year but this year was much better there were many more people there and myself and friends thoroughly enjoyed it, was a pleasure to see so many local people and I was able to listen to their views. Thanks again.
Kind Regards,
Wilma.