The Big Game
By Polyglot Theatre, Melbourne International Arts Festival
Meat Market, Nth Melbourne, 10-12 Oct, 2008
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on Oct 10, 2008
Stars:**
The Big Game fills the huge Meat Market space with an oversized board game. Around the board, the audience of children sit in teams – Rainbow, Ocean, House, Volcano and Swamp – barracking for their protagonist who rolls the dice and plays the game and faces challenges on the road.
The Big Game grew out of input from children in the Carlton high-rise flats and has great potential. But this “game as performance” needs refining. The show is too loose and often confusing. The introductory puppet narrative – about kidnapping the puppet daughter of the grumpy King of the Volcano to force him to allow children to play – needs clarity. The game that follows moves too slowly to be entertaining for those watching. The audience was restless.
After the show, children can form their own teams and play the board game themselves. The Big Game is a good idea that still needs some fine tuning.
Kate Herbert
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