Live art musical and eco-lutionary experience The Fabulous Unknown is the latest performance piece by New-York based radical performance collective Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir (some of whom have been assembled here in the UK). Lorna Rees was at the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts in Brighton for Total Theatre Magazine.

In case you are in any doubt as to the politics of this piece, the tall, white-clad Reverend Billy (with excellent hair) gets to the stage and informs us that “the earth presents as non-binary” and immediately, I’m in a church I can get behind. This is a secular gospel choir, but it uses the trappings of Christian church service to create its message and we in the audience are the congregants. 

Billy Talen presents initially as a caricature of a Baptist preacher and yet he is truly sincere: this isn’t a comedy preacher act, he is all conviction and there’s nothing disingenuous going on here. The show starts with a singing procession into the auditorium and almost immediately I burst into tears at the sheer vivid joy of the music. The audience are then invited to declaim “Earth-a-luljah,” although as an audience, this early on, we are a more traditionally reserved British audience and mainly smile enthusiastically at the stage.

This show is billed as being “wildly and unapologetically eco-conscious” and that’s completely true – it has no side, no archness, it’s straight-up, earnest heart and soul – heavy on the soul. It’s honestly rare to watch something so heartfelt and enthusiastic. With the bright colours and array of individual costume styles of the choir, the nostalgic vibe of the music, and the fact that most of ensemble live in New York, I was strangely put in mind of the children’s programme Sesame Street. On Sesame Street things are really simple: people are kind and don’t exploit each other; it is a deeply moral and straightforward universe. And really, where the planet is concerned, things are pretty simple aren’t they? This is a clear, activist message delivered with no irony, and this clarity of purposeful conviction speaks loudly. 

When the choir really let loose they make a truly stunning sound (and props here to the sound team, as choirs are notoriously hard to support technically, and they did a fantastic job). The songs are simple, catchy and joyful, from the stunningly sung ‘What did you do to the Great Outdoors’ (a beautiful alto-voiced husky solo by Francisca Benítez) to the glorious ‘Where do I Go (Mountains) to the rousing finale of ‘I’m Not the Only One’ which resolves into a sort of mantra-style invocation of “We can/Can we change’. The music punctuates and punctures, the choir is a fully committed ensemble and populated by strongly identifiable individuals. It is, as good choirs are, a brilliant metaphor for society. Special mentions must be made here for the statuesque, powerful feminine presence of director Savitri D, and the musicianship of the two keyboard players on stage, and in particular Joshua Nelson’s virtuosic singing. This is the gospel music I love. Not overly polished, it has a looseness, a liveness and an improvised style of delivery which flows into your heart and tingles your spine.

Reverend Billy himself is not nearly as patriarchal alpha-male as I’d initially assumed him to be – he collaborates with the choir, but does not assert himself in front of them. He is supplicant and cheerleader for the music, listening intently and respectfully. His sermon, which takes place towards the end of the performance, starts as a ramble on the erotic properties of traffic cones, equating the “big boxes” of consumerist sweatshop shopping experience to climate change; but eventually finds his way to an impromptu party of redirected vehicles in a liminal space. 

I’m reliably informed that the sermon changes shape and content every night, which makes the Greek chorus of the choir behind even more lovely –  they are responding as new to the words Reverend Billy is declaiming. You can feel a sense of collective relief when the connections are made and a convergence of narrative threads is achieved. We are implored to “stop shopping and start living, start loving… This consumer culture that makes hurricanes and wars – this can be disrupted. There are cones which can be moved and weaknesses all over”. For this eco-activist, it is a brilliant rallying cry and solidarity.

There was a modest-sized audience at the Attenborough Centre on this soggy October evening; but by the end, the initially reserved audience had all got to their feet, dancing, clapping and shouting along in exaltation, all converts.

Earth-a-luljah indeed.

All images: Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir: The Fabulous Unknown.

Photos by Andy Winmill 

Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir: The Fabulous Unknown was seen at The Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts on 21 October 2024. 

UK tour dates 2024:

20 Oct, Hastings, The Stables

21 Oct, Brighton, ACCA

22 Oct,  Canterbury, Gulbenkian

23 Oct, Colchester Arts Centre

25 Oct, Cambridge, The Junction

26 Oct, London, Unitarian Church, Islington

27 Oct, Birmingham, Midlands Arts Centre

For further information, see: https://revbilly.com/