Taylor Mac - A 24-Decade History of Popular Music: The First Act
Barbican Centre · 28 JUN - 30 JUN
Fabulous and fearless, Taylor Mac reframes the social history of America through three decades of song in this no-holds-barred extravaganza of music, art, activism and hugely entertaining mass ritual.
Overview
Joined onstage by a 24-piece orchestra and host of local special guests, New York’s Mac has created a Pulitzer Prize-nominated, once-in-a-lifetime, immersive performance in a quest to chronicle how communities grow stronger as they are being torn apart.
Charting the years 1776–1806, he asks the audience to conspire with him to reimagine rebellions, revolutions, triumphs and tragedies. Bawdy pub songs, sea shanties and subversive anthems are rearranged as musical mash-ups to take on a chapter of the defining early years of America’s history. The New York Times critic has described it as 'one of the greatest experiences of my life'.
A 24-Decade History of Popular Music: The First Act is part of our 2018 Season, The Art of Change, which explores how artists respond to, reflect and can potentially effect change in the social and political landscape. Find out more here.
Part of LIFT 2018, a London-wide festival of international performance taking place throughout June 2018.
Critic reviews
Explosive, spectacular, heartbreaking... this show is everything.
We were delirious and smitten, sundered and remade... An unutterably brilliant masterwork.
The first act of Taylor Mac’s 24-hour show is an extraordinary, unforgettable finale to this year's LIFT
It's a mark of Mac's genius that, after three hours that fly by, you only want more
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