What I liked
During the rain dance sequence, Alex would fling himself across the stage in astonishing and enjoyable ways! There were also so many of us audience members directly involved with his games on stage around the second half of the show; it felt intimate, and I felt really connected to Alex and to fellow audience members. We got to play Pokemon together too! That franchise will always have a dear place in my heart.
What I didn't like
Didn’t dislike anything, but during the rain dance sequence, I found it a bit difficult to hear the specific audio events that would send Alex flying across stage. This might mostly be a technical limitation with how sound plays in a venue, or with whether it would be possible to show a visual projection of what’s happening in alignment with the sound without negatively affecting the surrounding stage pictures in the show.
My overall impression
I’m happy and grateful that this got to be my first show seen during this Fringe season. Alex works with themes of translation, cultural identity, and finding joy and play amidst world-historical pain and loss (and at times amidst personal pain and loss!), all through some engaging, easy-to-play games shared with the audience.
