Science and Art cancel each other out in this confusing production
The human genome shares 17-24% of its make-up with a banana, 99% with a chimpanzee, and only 0.1% varies between humans. But these differences matter. Three Billion Letters is an interdisciplinary project combining science and art to explore the wonders of genetics. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of waiting around for something interesting to happen, and then when it does the idea goes largely unexplored, in a show lacking both scientific interest and artistic perspective.
Entering Riverside Studios’ Studio 3, the audience are issued an envelope containing a bitter chemical only people with the TAS2R38 gene – who the show terms “supertasters” – can perceive. This experiment is used to divide the audience down the middle aisle, separating those who could taste the bitterness from those who couldn’t. And then: nothing. No attempt is made to explain how this genetic difference affects sense perception, or to explore its philosophical implications for understanding human experience. The show just moves on. A similar experiment about grey hair is equally fruitless, beyond moving the audience into a differently divided arrangement.
There’s also a lot of awkward sitting around. At one point, some “non-supertasters” are taken outside (as it turns out to be briefed on a perplexing song celebrating Darwin for later in the show). This could have been a great opportunity for scientific exposition, but instead the audience are subjected to an endless tape loop of a single sentence about genetics being played and rewound. Whilst Mimmi Bauer, one-third of the writer/performers, exhibits decent comic timing, the lack of improvisational experience is exposed by the awkwardness of these audience interactions.
That’s not to say that there aren’t good ideas here, just that they’re not executed well. In addition to the experiments dividing the audience, there are interesting ethical questions raised: about designer babies, genetic data privacy, and what makes “good” genetic material. There are several opportunities for the audience to express their opinions using dry-erase paddles. But in most cases these ideas are moved away from too quickly to yield interesting conversation.
Towards the show’s end it opens up into a town-hall style discussion, where some genuinely moving points are made. In particular, an audience member beautifully articulates how her experience raising a child with a genetic disorder has shaped her perspective on designer babies. These insights come from the audience’s own experiences, rather than anything the production actively facilitates.
The promise of Three Billion Letters is a cross-disciplinary showcase blending art and science to combine personal stories with objective fact. The reality is very different. Did I learn anything new? Not really. Was I entertained? Only a little. The result is a show asking one question louder than all others: what was the point?
Three Billion Letters plays at Riverside Studios until 17th August. Tickets can be purchased here.
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