Roaring, pounding big band overwhelms with conspiracies #hf16

A big band, a ticking clock, conspiracy theories and twelve-tonality. Mix that in a theatrical setting and it can go whooping out of control. Yet composer Darcy James Argue manages to make it a propulsive and energising whole, with help from director Isaac Butler and cinematographer Peter Nigrihi.

The trio is fascinated by conspiracy theories and what such theories say about us. They draw on the entirety of post-war American history and there is a wealth of material there. From the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, to the idea that there were aliens being among us: everything comes along. In 12 chapters, referring to the 12 hours on the clock, which is ticking like a time bomb, the theories become increasingly penetrating. Real Enemys delves into the psyche of the 'hatchet men' brigade and shows us why their ideas have so much resonance. After all, who can you trust?

Twelve-tone compositions

Twelve is not only the number of hours on the clock, but also a guiding concept in music: the compositions are based on twelve-tonne, but not in a very strict Schoenbergian sentence. In his enthusiastic introduction, Koen Schouten told us that when Arnold Schoenberg developed his twelve-tone system, opponents thought of a conspiracy: after all, he and Webern got all the subsidies and commissions. That had to be a conspiracy to push out other composers making 'normal' music.

The beauty of the music is that it takes the twelve-tone approach, but is not an academic exercise in a big band mould. Refreshingly playful, the musicians combine elements from film scores (by David Shire and Michael Small, for instance) with fat funk, but just as easily with influences from American great masters like John Adams and Philip Glass. It is not tight throughout, but it thunders along nicely and takes the audience into a feverish atmosphere.

"Shall I reveal the world?"

The atmosphere is grongely set by the video projections on - again - 12 screens. We see clips from Hollywood films, the Zapruder film[hints]The famous clip showing the assassination of John F Kennedy, giving rise to countless theories as to the true facts[/hints], US presidents, Nicaraguan Contras and much, much more. It is a veritable bombardment of ingredients for the better conspiracy. This stream of images is interspersed with questions like: how are you in a big crowd? Was the first person you idolised a woman? And, towards the end in a crescendo of image, sound and light, the ever-expanding projected question "Shall I reveal the world?"

The only thing that got in my way a bit were the details:, the eighteen-piece band had suits that were just not quite snug enough and the runs to the front of the stage for solos were just too long. That took me out of the flow of the performance. All the attention paid to composition, image and research was somewhat watered down by this. A slightly sharper look from the designer, just that little bit more, would have finished it off.

However, what remains absolutely intact is a banging, pounding and thought-provoking show from a group of people who prove that the big band definitely still has a right to exist.