Friday, December 03, 2010

I'm not sure if this is really a flash mob in the traditional John Brunner sense -- all the participants are coming from the same place. But I love this as theatre. It is of course a brilliant piece of music, and the singers are superb. But making it a flash mob takes it to people who would never go see it if it was being performed in a church, with better acoustics, and the chorus wearing nice clothes. The singing is coming from the audience, rather than being separated. It puts the audience in the ritual space.

This is what the Protestants were getting at when they destroyed all those rood screens separating the priest from the congregation. They wanted to be part of the magic.

I love that flash mobs are here to stay. And I am still waiting to be in a crowded fire so I can shout "Theater! Theater!"

Labels: flash mobs

1:21 PM

4 Comments:

This was awesome. Sadly, it could never happen in the States without someone threatening to sue the Mall for religious discrimination.

By  daveed, at 3:46 PM  

Mm, I think it's a little premature to say that flash mobs are here to stay.

By  A. J. Payler, at 6:29 PM  

Respect to the singer who started it off. It was just creepy until the second person joined in...

By  Stephen Gallagher, at 5:45 AM  

Brilliant. Singers were amazing.

By  deborah Nathan, at 9:07 AM  

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