Mozart Undone at the Barbican London Review
Mozart Undone
Barbican, London
25 February to 1 March 2014
Reviewed by Sarah Keeley King
Denmark’s Betty Nansen Teatret have brought their genre-defying ‘theatre concert’ concept to London with their amazing new production Mozart Undone. As the Barbican groaned with hipster Danes and wannabe hipster Danes, no one quite knew what to expect. On stage the cast harmonised “Curious: what is it? Curious: what is it?” Which pretty much summed up our feelings about what we were about to see.
Two hours later, and we were still at a loss to describe this riotous, glorious, MAD, musical mash-up of a show. This was not Mozart as heard in the formal concert halls of Europe. This is Mozart undone, fragmented fractured, given the MTV treatment, and heard through the prism of just about every other musical style: pop, rock, country, bluegrass, you name it.
With no discernible plot or dialogue, five main characters (the mother, the daughter, the soldier, the lover, and the beast) sang and played and brought the spirit of Mozart to new avant-garde life. There were wigs, glitter, water works, bubbles, smeared plaster masks… And at the end of all that, still no further forward in being able to label it, my theatre date said it all: It’s the best thing I’ve seen in years!
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £16 to £28 (plus booking fee £3 online/£4 phone).
For more information or to book tickets click here or call the Box Office on 020 7638 8891.
