Tadhg Mackay
Farrago Bazaar (written and directed by Cassandra Tse) is an experience unlike anything I have experienced, theatre or otherwise. For two hours on a Saturday afternoon I forgot about Wellington, left my own life behind, stepped into the shoes of my character Mo and into a world that felt real and, I believe for everyone attending, it was.
I struggle to call what I’m about to write a “review” of Farrago Bazaar. When you go to a standard theatre show, you all sit in your seats as the actors perform on stage, with the only variation on what you and another audience member sees is the angle at which your nose points. I would guess that I saw, at a stretch, 20% of what happens in Farrago Bazaar. Another audience member would not see what I saw or do what I did. It would be more apt to call this piece a review of my experience at Farrago Bazaar, which felt more like a place than a show.
It begins when you book your tickets. Instead of booking a seat with a letter and a number, you book a character with a tribe, wants, and relationships. I chose Mo, a Tolvil chef who wants revenge on the Zan who injured his partner when they raided our community. You are emailed a slightly more in depth character description along with the names of some notable relationships. A mix of audience characters and cast characters. When I booked I didn’t think too hard about who I was. I had seen Tse’s previous immersive show When We Slip Beneath the Sea and had felt more like a bystander in that piece, rather than someone in the world. I assumed then that this would be a similar situation. I was wrong. Mo was part of this world as much as the performers and their characters.
This is thanks to the incredible depth Tse brought to this world. As I made my way through the Bazaar I would hear talk of a religion formed from the old world or a phrase in another language. Not all of it was related to me but that made it all the more believable. Not only did I believe in Farrago Bazaar, I believed in the world beyond it as well. Every single character, actor or audience member, was a part of this ornate tapestry that Tse had woven. Each had at least four strands tying them to the world. I think this encouraged the audience to embody their characters more. Had the world felt even a touch more fragile, I personally would have withdrawn from my character and reverted to audience mode, hoping not to break something unexpectedly.
I don’t know how to begin to talk about the direction of this show. With everything to see and do within the Bazaar, I found it difficult to notice Tse’s guiding hand. What I did notice were some of the clever mechanics that made the machine of Farrago Bazaar tick. In the beginning of the show the audience were split into their tribes. The Tolvil had Avito, played by Fi Engel. Engel, welcomed the audience dribbling in, encouraging them to roleplay for the first time by introducing themselves. I appreciated Engel responding in character to an out of character question. A subtle way of showing us all that “in character” is normal here. Lilima, played by Ruby Kemp, then comes in and does a roll call making sure everyone hears everyone’s names and can put a face to the names of friends they received in their character breakdown.
Throughout the show, silent characters in masks would ring bells. I didn’t get an in-world reason for this but this was a clever way to make sure that the actors could keep time and hit important marks. Lastly, myself and a handful of others were given a task to collect items from the Bazaar. It was only after leaving did I realise it could have been a sly way of getting us to explore the Bazaar. I’m sure there are more things I must have missed but without much experience with immersive theatre conventions myself, I would have to pick Tse’s brain about how it all worked.
I felt a swell in the audience as the day progressed. First there was trepidation, “Should I talk in character?” “Will others play along or raise an eyebrow?” Then (and maybe this was just me) I felt a giddiness. Like a domino effect, the adults realised that they were allowed to play! I don’t think I had one conversation out of character. Everybody had bought into the conceit and were eager to participate. The performers welcomed with open arms any roleplay thrown their way. By the end there was comfort among everyone. I would saddle up next to some people I had met an hour earlier and gossip about the goings on in the Bazaar. Some of my favourite moments were interacting with the other audience members. I formed a true camaraderie with two of them and by the end of the show, forgot to ask them their real names. I will only ever remember them as Amilia and Mati.
I want to talk about the story I was a part of as it’s important to my experience. Again, I only saw a fraction of what happened in the Bazaar but I am about to go into some story details. Consider this a spoiler warning.
During the course of the Bazaar, a villager from my tribe Tolvil unveiled a plan to bomb the vehicles of the Zan, the tribe which had raided our tribe previously. My character and a handful of others wanted revenge on the Zan for raiding us, while others thought that we shouldn’t retaliate. It was put to a vote. Do we plant this bomb or prevent further violence? It was a 50/50 split.
What followed was quite a fascinating experience. The Tolvil tribe splintered. The half who voted to discard the “device” went to the Zan and offered their help with other tasks. The other half (of which I was a part) sent Avito on their way to plant the bomb. I then got to walk around the Bazaar and watch as everyone else's stories wrapped up and ended peacefully.
As a final send off everyone gathered together and sang a waiata about a man yearning for freedom in a world without strife but there I was, silent amongst the voices. I looked around and saw Vita, my character’s partner, singing melody. Lilima, stone faced, on a bittersweet harmony. The whole Bazaar in chorus and all I could hear was a dirge.
I knew there was a bomb about to explode.
In that moment I felt truly guilty, both as my character and me. I had made a decision based on the small scope of what I knew, which did not include the goings on in the Bazaar. Everyone else had come together at the end and I was about to ruin it. All the performers left the audience behind to sing and I waited for the sound, a scream, something. Nothing happened. Instead the performers all came out for bows. We whooped and applauded but at the same time I couldn’t help but feel a bit daft.
Our story had implied that the bomb would be triggered. I had spent the past 2 hours working to build this device in secret and succeeding! When there was no mention of a bomb… well it felt a bit stink. I felt my emotions in those final moments were invalidated. It felt like that the storyline I was a part of, that held me and guided me through the show was just dropped with no explanation.
I can understand why that may not have happened. The majority of the other audience members would hear a bomb go off, think “what in the world was that?!” and then the show would end. The explosion potentially souring the show for them. Upon discussing with some cast members afterwards, I learnt that the bomb was never guaranteed to work, that there was always a chance of failure. This was not made clear to me and perhaps if I had known that, I would have walked away wondering if our plan worked, not assuming that it didn't.
Now, I know I have just used the last 481 words to talk about what disappointed me but I would like to also point out that I spent 481 words talking about a story that felt uniquely mine and made me feel a whole range of emotion. There were about 60 audience members at my showing and I can only assume that each of them had just as unique a story.
5 hours later and it feels like Farrago Bazaar was a lifetime ago because in a way it was a lifetime ago - not mine, but Mo’s. I spent two hours in a world that was rich, with characters who I cared about and an audience who seemed just as excited as I was to be in this world. The whole cast and crew should be applauded for what truly is some of the best theatre I have experienced. A special thank you to Fi Engel and Ruby Kemp with whom I interacted with the most during the show and were pivotal in my enjoyment of the piece. Tse’s work here feels groundbreaking and I can only hope that Tse continues to explore immersive theatre so that I can enter one of their worlds again.
I know this show may not be for some, and everyone will have a different story to tell after leaving the Bazaar but I will say this. If ever you have the opportunity to visit Farrago Bazaar do not pass it up, just be sure to say hi to Mo for me. For more information follow the link here.
It begins when you book your tickets. Instead of booking a seat with a letter and a number, you book a character with a tribe, wants, and relationships. I chose Mo, a Tolvil chef who wants revenge on the Zan who injured his partner when they raided our community. You are emailed a slightly more in depth character description along with the names of some notable relationships. A mix of audience characters and cast characters. When I booked I didn’t think too hard about who I was. I had seen Tse’s previous immersive show When We Slip Beneath the Sea and had felt more like a bystander in that piece, rather than someone in the world. I assumed then that this would be a similar situation. I was wrong. Mo was part of this world as much as the performers and their characters.
This is thanks to the incredible depth Tse brought to this world. As I made my way through the Bazaar I would hear talk of a religion formed from the old world or a phrase in another language. Not all of it was related to me but that made it all the more believable. Not only did I believe in Farrago Bazaar, I believed in the world beyond it as well. Every single character, actor or audience member, was a part of this ornate tapestry that Tse had woven. Each had at least four strands tying them to the world. I think this encouraged the audience to embody their characters more. Had the world felt even a touch more fragile, I personally would have withdrawn from my character and reverted to audience mode, hoping not to break something unexpectedly.
I don’t know how to begin to talk about the direction of this show. With everything to see and do within the Bazaar, I found it difficult to notice Tse’s guiding hand. What I did notice were some of the clever mechanics that made the machine of Farrago Bazaar tick. In the beginning of the show the audience were split into their tribes. The Tolvil had Avito, played by Fi Engel. Engel, welcomed the audience dribbling in, encouraging them to roleplay for the first time by introducing themselves. I appreciated Engel responding in character to an out of character question. A subtle way of showing us all that “in character” is normal here. Lilima, played by Ruby Kemp, then comes in and does a roll call making sure everyone hears everyone’s names and can put a face to the names of friends they received in their character breakdown.
Throughout the show, silent characters in masks would ring bells. I didn’t get an in-world reason for this but this was a clever way to make sure that the actors could keep time and hit important marks. Lastly, myself and a handful of others were given a task to collect items from the Bazaar. It was only after leaving did I realise it could have been a sly way of getting us to explore the Bazaar. I’m sure there are more things I must have missed but without much experience with immersive theatre conventions myself, I would have to pick Tse’s brain about how it all worked.
I felt a swell in the audience as the day progressed. First there was trepidation, “Should I talk in character?” “Will others play along or raise an eyebrow?” Then (and maybe this was just me) I felt a giddiness. Like a domino effect, the adults realised that they were allowed to play! I don’t think I had one conversation out of character. Everybody had bought into the conceit and were eager to participate. The performers welcomed with open arms any roleplay thrown their way. By the end there was comfort among everyone. I would saddle up next to some people I had met an hour earlier and gossip about the goings on in the Bazaar. Some of my favourite moments were interacting with the other audience members. I formed a true camaraderie with two of them and by the end of the show, forgot to ask them their real names. I will only ever remember them as Amilia and Mati.
I want to talk about the story I was a part of as it’s important to my experience. Again, I only saw a fraction of what happened in the Bazaar but I am about to go into some story details. Consider this a spoiler warning.
During the course of the Bazaar, a villager from my tribe Tolvil unveiled a plan to bomb the vehicles of the Zan, the tribe which had raided our tribe previously. My character and a handful of others wanted revenge on the Zan for raiding us, while others thought that we shouldn’t retaliate. It was put to a vote. Do we plant this bomb or prevent further violence? It was a 50/50 split.
What followed was quite a fascinating experience. The Tolvil tribe splintered. The half who voted to discard the “device” went to the Zan and offered their help with other tasks. The other half (of which I was a part) sent Avito on their way to plant the bomb. I then got to walk around the Bazaar and watch as everyone else's stories wrapped up and ended peacefully.
As a final send off everyone gathered together and sang a waiata about a man yearning for freedom in a world without strife but there I was, silent amongst the voices. I looked around and saw Vita, my character’s partner, singing melody. Lilima, stone faced, on a bittersweet harmony. The whole Bazaar in chorus and all I could hear was a dirge.
I knew there was a bomb about to explode.
In that moment I felt truly guilty, both as my character and me. I had made a decision based on the small scope of what I knew, which did not include the goings on in the Bazaar. Everyone else had come together at the end and I was about to ruin it. All the performers left the audience behind to sing and I waited for the sound, a scream, something. Nothing happened. Instead the performers all came out for bows. We whooped and applauded but at the same time I couldn’t help but feel a bit daft.
Our story had implied that the bomb would be triggered. I had spent the past 2 hours working to build this device in secret and succeeding! When there was no mention of a bomb… well it felt a bit stink. I felt my emotions in those final moments were invalidated. It felt like that the storyline I was a part of, that held me and guided me through the show was just dropped with no explanation.
I can understand why that may not have happened. The majority of the other audience members would hear a bomb go off, think “what in the world was that?!” and then the show would end. The explosion potentially souring the show for them. Upon discussing with some cast members afterwards, I learnt that the bomb was never guaranteed to work, that there was always a chance of failure. This was not made clear to me and perhaps if I had known that, I would have walked away wondering if our plan worked, not assuming that it didn't.
Now, I know I have just used the last 481 words to talk about what disappointed me but I would like to also point out that I spent 481 words talking about a story that felt uniquely mine and made me feel a whole range of emotion. There were about 60 audience members at my showing and I can only assume that each of them had just as unique a story.
5 hours later and it feels like Farrago Bazaar was a lifetime ago because in a way it was a lifetime ago - not mine, but Mo’s. I spent two hours in a world that was rich, with characters who I cared about and an audience who seemed just as excited as I was to be in this world. The whole cast and crew should be applauded for what truly is some of the best theatre I have experienced. A special thank you to Fi Engel and Ruby Kemp with whom I interacted with the most during the show and were pivotal in my enjoyment of the piece. Tse’s work here feels groundbreaking and I can only hope that Tse continues to explore immersive theatre so that I can enter one of their worlds again.
I know this show may not be for some, and everyone will have a different story to tell after leaving the Bazaar but I will say this. If ever you have the opportunity to visit Farrago Bazaar do not pass it up, just be sure to say hi to Mo for me. For more information follow the link here.