My overall impression
If you’re a theatre purist – avoid this show. Also, go soak your head.
Theatre at its best mirrors and elevates the world around it. So unless you’ve been living under a rock with your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears, video games are part of our cultural landscape, and are not going away anytime soon.
This show will not hold your hand – if you’re not a gamer, there are references that you won’t get. If you’re not familiar with the Hunger Games (or Battle Royale), you won’t understand the stakes. And if you don’t have a smartphone, then I guess just pout. The show is interactive, regardless of whether you have a mobile device or not – but having one makes you much more invested, and therefore makes the show more fun.
But the real interaction comes from the energy and commitment of the performers. They work ferociously to make the audience like them, and you can sense that their lives really are on the line. There are REAL stakes here, and they are bragging rights.
The stage combat is incredible – well rehearsed, committed, and in a fairly intimate space, this is no small task. And while we’re talking about likelyhood of physical injury, I’m quite sure that Yoshi must have some form of carpal tunnel. But all of that physical dedication speaks to the commitment of the cast and crew.
The Video Games would be a show that would be all to easy to devolve into silliness, but the hard work involved in a complicated execution of combinations coupled with the interactive nature of the production really will keep you on the edge of your seat.
