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Sublime journey through the snowMediaeval Baebes
Lichfield Garrick **** THE
Mediaeval
Baebes were a huge success judging by
the reaction of the Lichfield audience during this performance, the
penultimate date on their Christmas 2010 tour. The show is sublime and
ethereal, taking you to another time and place through song, poetry and
dance.
The musical ensemble have been pleasing audiences since 1996 with songs based on Mediaeval poetry put to a modern interpretation of Mediaeval music. The line-up has seen many changes since it's inception. Founding member Katharine Blake, who is also musical director, and lead composer and arranger for the group has surrounded herself with songstresses with timeless beauty and exquisite voices. Sarah Kayte Foster, Esther Dee, Emily Ovenden and
Bev Lee Harling are also competent instrumentalists and dancers. Sadly,
the sixth member of the group, Melpomeni, was missing having fallen foul
of the plague.
The show opened with subdued lighting, a black
back drop with tiny lights shining as stars and the stage floor and
equipment bedecked in florae. With a tribal beat of the drum, a bell
tolled 13 (half expected ACDC or Metallica to make an entrance) and one
by one the Baebes proceeded on to the stage, clad in floaty,
winter-white, medieval-style gowns, wearing floral headdresses and
carrying lighted candles. The scene was set and the show unfurled.
Halfway through the first half, as the Baebes
exited for costume changes, we were treated to short session by the
brilliant band, Frank Moon playing oud, cittern and percussion,
Kavus Torabi, the Baebes very own Persian Prince, playing guitar and
cuattro and, on drums and percussion, Ben Wollacott. The Babes
returned to stage dressed in spring greens and the pace of the show
picked up a tad.
The second half of the show was much livelier.
There was another costume change, this time to purple, lots of great
choreography and armography and tunes included Dringo Bell, the
climatic Maypole Dance, Sunrise (plenty of audience
participation) and some very dark numbers. The whole show rose to a
dramatic flamenco-influenced finale with The Blacksmiths.
The extremely appreciative audience were given an encore. The show included some new songs and as well as
revisiting old favourites. A programme for the evening would have been
very useful. Perhaps, there was an assumption that the audience
would be familiar enough with the Baebes' material that they would be
able to identify all the songs. The available programme at £10 was a
little steep and actually covered their new double album, Temptation,
http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/index.html and not the show. Lynda Ford
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