Writer: Jan Noble
Director: Justin Butcher
From the streets of rain-washed Milan to the fiery depths of King Cross station during its 1987 fire, Body 115 is a brave, uncompromising, and captivating solo theatre performance from poet Jan Noble.
The punk band performing in the basement of The Hope Theatre in Islington, in a turn of good luck, provides a thumping base that only mirrors the thrumming energy of performer Jan Noble’s marvellous linguistic skills. The small stage is adorned with only a suitcase and a downpour of rain that is in complete antithesis to the unpredictable British summer outside (with audience members given paper fans to ward off the oppressive heat of the day).
With fascinating dexterity, Jan Noble takes us through an explicit poetic homage to Dante’s divine comedy, no mean feat in just an hour. Guided by Noble’s linguistic efforts, we travel through physical locations: we stamp through the backstreets of Montparnasse, we amble through a limbo land of a Calais refugee camp, we are engulfed in the inferno that stormed up an escalator at Kings Cross and killed 31 people in 1987. It provides an engaging tension between finding ground, the need to escape, and a deeply personal voyage of discovery. On the way we meet long-dead poetic heroes who accompany Noble through a deeply intimate exploration of self, envisioning civil unrest and ancient rebellion through the ages, from gentrification and beyond.
Noble’s performance is not just engaging, it’s relentless. Direct eye contact with the audience means not a single word of the lengthy poem is brushed over, as he shouts, whispers, laments and cries out.
Invoking Dante, and Virgil, and stopping off with Keats and Marlowe, the show snaps your head from left to right and, no matter the linguistic destination, Noble’s performance succeeds in captivating. That is until the last 15 mins, where the energy of the poet remains while the audience’s stamina wavers. It’s an impressive work of literary artistry, but audience members less enthusiastic about poetry might edge into exhaustion with some of the loftier references and miss some key components that come with no explanation. But a nod to accessibility comes in the form of a QR code placed on every seat, giving attendees the chance to download and look back over the poem.
Justin Butcher’s smooth direction makes for a seamless transition between each big idea, and no doubt plays a significant role in holding the attention of the audience as Noble traverses the complex verse. But at times Noble feels slightly rooted to the spot which is at odds with the dynamic language.
For verse and literary lovers, Body 115 is a must-see. For all audiences, Jan Noble and Justin Butcher provide a striking evening of storytelling that has something to say to everyone. It is a triumph in poetic theatre performance and one of Camden Fringe’s most unique showings.
Runs until 26 August 2023
Camden Fringe runs until 27 August 2023