Wanderlust

With the right atmosphere this could be a really enchanting evening event to set you up for a spirited late night of Fringe festivities. But relying heavily on exuberant audience participation as it does, the sober audience of five that gather on the Thursday night that I attend sadly let it down, with the meagre turn-out making some of the scenes simply impracticable.

We meet our 10 foot tall, Bavarian hostess Hilda and join in with her scripted, prop-aplenty theatrics, communally recreating her picaresque adventure from innocent childhood to her forays into a mystical realm replete with circus freaks, vampires and an impending apocalypse. The plot merely serves to set a sufficiently enchanting, bohemian tone, and freely wonders from one unlikely situation to another with the dreamlike unpredictability of a Grimm fairytale, generating enough cues for mini-games along the way to call it a party.

At times we become her puppets and act out a scene from her life. At others, we lend our hands to create special effects out of large sheets of fabric, together conjuring up on the stage an immense ocean or a circus tent. And interspersed among all this is shadow puppetry, finger puppetry, musical numbers, a round of vodka shots and more. We are carousing down a magical rabbit hole and everything is curious.

Wanderlust may come across more like a dramaturgic workshop than a wholesome theatrical experience, and will likely click instantly with practising artists and dramatists while leaving the average consumer feeling bewildered or even inadequate. It’s not for the shy, and it’s not something you’ll be able to enjoy from a distance, but turn up with a willingness to take part and you’ll leave feeling gently charmed.