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You Me Bum Bum Train

  • Theatre, Experimental
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
you me bum bum train 2015
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Time Out says

5 out of 5 stars

London's greatest theatre ride is back – and we still can't tell you anything about it

'You Me Bum Bum Train' tickets for Spring 2016 are only available through ballot. If you would like to purchase a ticket, sign up to the lottery at bumbumtrain.com by Feb 4, 4pm. 

All aboard! Or should that be: everyone who managed to elbow their way to a ticket, aboard! ‘You Me Bum Bum Train’, the crazy, immersive and entirely sold out ride for one person has pulled into a secret London location and is as exhilarating as ever.

Volunteering on the 'Bum Bum Train'

With its ridiculous name and its glorious refusal to make its home in a genre (it’s *sort* of theatre, but it’s also *sort* of a game and it’s *sort* of like nothing else on earth), ‘You Me Bum Bum Train’ – the brainchild of the monumentally imaginative Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd – takes you into the unknown. I can’t say much more, because I’ve signed something resembling the official secrets act, saying I can’t disclose anything about ‘YMBBT’. It’s all a little like the first and second rules of Fight Club.

But the truth is I wouldn’t want to tell you too much. Part of the terror and joy of it is not knowing what might be on the other side of the many, very different doors constructed in Bond and Lloyd’s intricate and exceptionally realistic sets – put together by an army of volunteers.

You are cast as the lead actor in a series of interactive experiences: ‘YMBBT’ will take you to some strange places, some of which may seem familiar, most of which probably won't. Fan of early '90s TV show ‘Quantum Leap’? You’ll probably like this.

This year’s iteration is more intense and definitely more political than when the train last came to London in 2012. Several of the scenarios relate to current affairs and things happening recently on TV. As a result this ‘YMBBT’ makes you think a bit more. Forcing you to respond on your feet, it makes you consider life and death; the show asks you for your view on issues we are all facing and gets you to share it.

The sets are astonishing, as is the dedication and commitment of the exceptionally convincing volunteers. There are also a handful of really, really dark moments. But if you’re not prepared for a bit of discomfort, this isn’t the show for you. It’s about testing your boundaries and getting involved. It’s a show that takes you on some awkward lows and some soaring highs. It’s the ride of your life.

Written by
Daisy Bowie-Sell

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Price:
£45.99
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