With its deranged energy levels and euphoric audience interaction, You Me Bum Bum Train has been a theatrical sensation since its inception in the mid-noughties, becoming the Barbican’s fastest-selling show ever in 2010. It is now set to return for a fresh production in September and October.
The team – and their small army of volunteer actors – will take over an undisclosed space near Tottenham Court Road station in London to stage the experience. In previous shows, solo participants were whisked through an array of bizarre tableaux where they become the centre of attention, having to act and react along with the cast. Celebrity fans include Stephen Fry, who called it “the theatrical experience of my life”.
Speaking to the Guardian, You Me Bum Bum Train’s Kate Bond said the show was inspired by “wanting to find fulfilment and to have rich life experiences before dying” and “witnessing imaginative people stuck in jobs that machines could do”. She and her co-creator Morgan Lloyd encouraged people to sign up to volunteer as one of the show’s actors. “The volunteering experience has changed people’s lives,” said Lloyd. “A volunteer performer who was a lawyer became a comedian, and a corporate businesswoman went into human rights law after volunteering.”
For Lloyd, too, the show is in part a reaction to the grind of urban life. “Commuting in the city and giving up all of my time seems to be such a big sacrifice for a job that might not bring me happiness, fulfilment or have personal meaning. Fortunately, You Me Bum Bum Train is a very fulfilling project. Although it’s unsustainable and hard work, it is rewarding and has impact for those who help make it happen and the audience who experience it.”
Tickets go on sale at 6.30pm on 21 June. Expect a scramble – in 2011, 80,000 people tried to buy tickets in less than a minute.
