On 23rd April I went to see The Bobby Kennedy Experience at the Old Stock Joint in Birmingham. It was clear to see the actor’s passion for Robert ‘Bobby’ Kennedy; however, unfortunately, the show was incredibly chaotic.  It became difficult to tell when the chaos was deliberate to showcase the mental state of Kennedy after his brother’s assassination and when the chaos was an unfortunate side effect of his acting choices.

I chose to see the show due to studying history and my love of seeing cultural pieces that possess a historical basis. However, I do not feel that I learned much about Kennedy that I did not previously know. Whether that is because I already understood the Kennedy brothers due to studying Vietnam at A-level and during the first year of my degree or whether it was because the show did not actually teach the audience anything I am not entirely sure. 

I found the show to be incredibly peculiar both in the way the actor portrayed the role of Bobby Kennedy and in the props he choose to use to tell the story.  I did not understand why there was a box of paper which he threw lots of paper out of and onto the floor to name one choice that I pondered the relevance of.

One aspect that I did quite like was the use of the projector to show historic film as I think that it added some realism to the piece. I think the film aspect brought the piece back from a sense of chaos and provided a feeling of stillness even if just for a short while. It also demonstrated how people felt at the time through actual footage.  As someone who studies history, I love primary sources and I can certainly appreciate that the experience provided me with some. 

The whole story was portrayed by one actor; this aspect I will give him credit for. He was able to keep the audience’s attention all the way through the show. Whether that is because they were captivated by what was happening in front of them or were attempting to understand what was unfolding, I am not sure. I would argue that every audience member present had their own reason for paying close attention to the show.

I have never understood modern art and the show to me felt like modern art but shown through performance rather than through the medium of a canvas.  It was certainly interesting and I can say with the utmost certainty that I have never seen, and probably never will, anything else quite like the performance.

The show did bring to light Bobby Kennedy and for once in the Kennedy family story placed him front and centre of the story.  I will admit that in some senses the experience was successful l as I left the theatre talking about Bobby Kennedy and if that was the aim then in that sense it succeeded. I am however not too certain about the methods that were used to get to that conclusion. 

Rating: 3/5

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