It is in a sandy orange box that Peter Brook sets his newest work, 11 and 12, adapted for him by Marie-Hélène Estienne from the stories of Amadou Hampâté Bâ . A tale of the age old issues of faith and intolerance, 11 and 12 deals with the complex issue of religious doctrine but on a level which can be viewed as almost absurd: the sticking point being whether a recitation of a prayer should be done 11 or 12 times. The piece is superbly acted by small ensemble of performers playing cross gender and race with no hint of pantomime whilst a down stage corner is converted into a one-man orchestra pit, musician Toshi Tsuchitori, with Japanese zither and cymbals, accompanying the action. Tsuchitori percussive score works best in the scene when the feet of one of the 11s are burnt by a group of 12s, the crashed cymbals and calming wind chimes combining to give the scene an abstract and stylised brutality.
There are also moments of great humour and sadness in the piece with scenes of the French colonials teaching the Malian locals La Marseillaise whilst they interrogate a captured African zealot in another. It is the French that come away from the piece as those who are uncultured, the final image of the work being a Gallic park keeper commenting that if they move the grave of Tierno Bokar, leader of the 11s, he won’t get to meet so many nice Africans. It is a pleasure to see the work of a theatrical great like Brook but the calm presentation of this complex story lacked the urgency and emotion which it would have doubtless have had in reality. This considered approach, whilst actively making the audience engage critically with what was happening, did not connect on an emotional level leaving them to wonder what the feelings of those involved really were.
11 and 12: ****
Image courtesy of Tristram Kenton.
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