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  Art Murmurs - Wellington Reviews

Reviews

Hardcore Truth

10/3/2019

Comments

 

Harry Gibbons

How do you review a theatre performance operating with a cast of 10 undertaking multiple rolls in quick changing scenarios (over 20 in fact)? In the end it was delight matching that of the audience following Basejump Improv (NZ)'s 60 minute current Fringe Festival show, Hardcore Truth. A surprising and overdue first in Wellington.
Director and group founder, James Smith leads his team in audience instigated improvised performances using a Chicago, US based deconstruction format. The format facilitates performers to explore relationships between two people at a time on centre stage in a combination of thematic and often absurd and hilarious scenes. The two act show is performed in Scruffy Bunny Improv Theatre's pop up venue. This is located in a vacant, old but still grand bank building not too many metres from its regular home at 100 Courtenay Place. Providing a theatrical setting must have been quite a challenge in such a large and cavernous venue. But the venue is warm and matched by the welcome of and helpfulness of front of house staff. Also what appears to be padded church seating is surprisingly comfortable. A flat floor may make viewing difficult in the rear “pews,” especially if sitting behind taller patrons. However there were no complaints on review night so there might not be a problem.

Promotional material rates the show as 18 years plus. The Hardcore in the title helps to underpin this. But this particular performance remains very much in the sphere of family entertainment. However, through using audience instigated scenarios there could be future times in which the cast is led towards darker realms.

Director James Smith warms up the night's patrons and a venue for the opening improvisation is then selected by a member of the audience (something repeated in the second half). A park was selected for the opening sequence and a cat cafe to launch the second half. The latter had then to be explained to the cast as being a cafe where patrons could pamper cats not where you could eat cat food or the animals themselves. Such is the rapport that develops between cast and audience the moment simply adds to the fun and quirkiness of the evening.

Each short improvisation involves two cast members exploring their expectations of life and relationships. All are humorous satire and work wonderfully well. The scenes are brief tending to the outlandish and even  bizarre. But they are founded on real life situations we can all relate to. The pace is hectic as cast members move from one situation to another often changing to different partners with each shift of scenario. With over 20 of these in the 60 minutes it is impossible to refer to them all. Suffice to say improvisations on review night ranged across: feeding ducks in the park, marrying to gain a share of a phd, bedroom stimulants (can pepper spray really be a bedtime stimulant for your partner), obsessive protectionism between flatmates to purchasing an armoured vehicle as the next family car for increased safety, hair gel preferences as a basis of friendship, oddball career advice, and child rejecting a mother's love over not getting what they want. In this case a real family giraffe. This last has added hilarity given the “child” is a 30s something bearded actor and the “mother” one of the male cast members.

The relationships in each of the two opening sequences are delightfully developed further via  continuing intrusions throughout the performance. Additionally, these two themes end each half with a scene at first impression appearing to precede their opening sequences. If my interpretation is correct then this is subtle and very clever theatre. But then so is the whole evening.

James and his team of  Duncan Ballinger, Tristram Domican, Jan Field, Jamie Hoare, Richard Hoffman, Joel Luscombe, Jonathan Mandeno Cailin Neal, Olivia Willis and Tony Yuile can congratulate themselves in enriching Wellington's theatre scene with Hardcore Truth.

Let's have more please.

Hardcore Truth runs from March 5-9 inclusive at the Scruffy Bunny Improv Theatre, 40 Courtenay Place. To book tickets, or for more information on other shows in Wellington's Fringe Festival, visit the NZ Fringe website. ​
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