A Not So Trivial Pursuit: A Soul-Searching Odyssey With Multiple-Choice Questions! ~ Adelaide Fringe 2023 Review

[Theatre and Physical Theatre/Clown ~ SA] The Chapel at Migration Museum, Sat 18 Feb, 2023. The performer Hew Parham proposes that our life’s journey can be looked at as games we play. They may be grown-up ones; there are blame games and shame games and the same old games over and over again. In this case the hexagonal wheel of the trivia board game becomes the wheel of life. And as with a wheel, what goes up must come down. The game for Hew is more accurately a map. His childish alter ego, the pirate archetype, needs a chart to seek his treasure. This show is a quest to find oneself, a soul-searching odyssey through clown camps and across continents. He also has to find the scattered bits of a broken heart. Does the clown character really get to choose his next move, or is it at the mercy of the throw of a die? The audience get right into the game, a full house providing ample team members to cover all categories of life’s questions. Who would believe that multiple choice questions could be so much fun? Hew establishes his ‘nice’, sweet credentials from the get-go. The naivety of the character clown shines through, without the need for a red nose. By baring his innermost feelings with refreshing honesty, we share his ride on the emotional roller-coaster. As he puts it, ‘…those feelings he stored away as a young man in his sports bag back up in the attic of his subconscious.’ The script is delightfully tight throughout, and Hew slips easily between creating the various characters he meets, even voicing objects with their own objective commentary on what they witness. Will he (a) finally find his tribe where he feels accepted, where the sense of community is combined with awe for the wonder of nature? Or (b) will he choose another axis on the hexagonal wheel and encounter the same dream again? Or (c) Will his dream ever become real? Or (d) All of the above? Perhaps the real question is: does the audience determine the outcome/s – i.e., the course of your life – or do you have ultimate control? If you feel the urge to stay in the game and be a constant player, that’s your choice. Just understand that the quizmaster will never run short of questions. There are no short cuts in this pursuit, but the journey is as enjoyable as it gets. Those experiences along the way are the true treasures we discover. And if we can laugh a lot and cry a little about them, maybe we’ll learn some wisdom too. As T. S. Eliot said, ‘…And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.’ 3.5 stars David Cronin A Not So Trivial Pursuit continues at The Chapel at Migration Museum from 5.15pm until Sun 19 Mar. Book at FringeTIX and adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #TheClothesline…