by Adrian Miller
New South Wales comedy team BEAK arrive in town next week to present Karate Man – A Live-Action Video Game. The Clothesline contacts producer Bruno Dubosarsky and begins by asking him about BEAK and how long they have worked together as a team.
“BEAK is a cult comedy quartet featuring the kooky comedic prowess of Bruno Dubosarsky, Jacob Henegan, Daniel Scarratt, and Liam Scarratt. We initially formed as a purposefully-bad-at-improv team back at uni. We’ve been doing dumb, smart, complicated, basic, edgy, gentle and funny comedy together since 2015, and Karate Man is essentially a culmination of all of that.”
You presented Karate Man at Sydney Fringe 2023 in which it was a Best In Comedy finalist. Have you presented this show anywhere else previously?
“Karate Man started as a 5 minute sketch in our previous show Cocktail Boys which we got the chance to workshop with over 20 performances at Edinburgh Fringe 2022. We developed it into a full show last year for Sydney Fringe, and have performed it on a bi-monthly basis in Sydney since! It’s such a refreshing and constantly evolving show that I feel we could do it forever.”
Is Karate Man a purely improv show or does it have a regular narrative?
“There is a heavily scripted narrative, with elaborate props, costumes and set pieces to match! That being said, the main character’s actions are completely driven by the audience. He is under the command of a video game controller that the crowd holds in their hands. Karate Man’s wife might want to have a serious talk about their marriage, but if you want him to just crawl around on the floor and punch the air, then THAT’s the show.”
If I have never played a video game in my life will I understand your show?
“I don’t think you’ll believe me when I say yes, but it’s true! If you’ve never touched a controller before, don’t worry. While we have drawn inspiration from video game tropes and culture, the narrative, comedy and interactive elements are designed to work with good attitudes rather than good video game knowledge.”
“Yes! The audience collectively controls the main character using a Bluetooth controller that gets passed around the room. Like a classic couch co-op video game, or like when I used to watch my brother beat Fable on Xbox because I thought it was too scary. You might control Karate Man during a fight, make a decision that alters the path of the show completely, or choose a jaunty hat for him to wear! That being said, if you’d rather watch the action than join in, you can just pass the controller on to someone else. Y’know, like if it’s too scary!“
You are joined by a cast of Sydney alt comedians (Steph Ryan, Tim Dunk, Maddie Atkins). How did you encourage them to be involved?
“Steph, Tim and Maddie are all stand-out improvisers at Improv Theatre Sydney, and are very involved with the alt rooms ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ and ‘Billy Joel’s Coffee House’. We met through a combination of university shows and improv classes and they were cajoled into the show through a combination of passion for the ambitious, whacky idea and good old-fashioned friendship.”
Who are some of your absurdist comedy heroes?
“At BEAK, we have a pretty broad range of influences. We definitely learned a lot from the sketch comedy masters like Mr Show and Monty Python. We also collectively love comedians like Paul Foot and Patti Harrison. For Karate Man, we’ve also drawn a lot on the absurd humour we find in sitcoms, cartoons and games we love, like Undertale.”
Your show is rated PG. So it will appeal to a pretty wide age range?
“The show’s pretty zany and out there, but still so accessible. There’ll certainly be references that’ll fly over the head of Gens X, Y, Z, Alpha and boomers. But wow, look at that thing fly! And like any true Australian PG show, there’s a bit of SWEARING.”
What do you think people will enjoy most about Karate Man?
“The POWER the controller gives you! The audience is in control of not just a sweaty unfit man, but also the entire show. It’s a communal story that we’re all telling together. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure come to life. You can come back a second time and see how different the show can be. One night, Karate Man might be possessed to hold maracas and sing a Billy Joel song, and the next, he might be summoning a wasp queen to throw ping pong balls at a disgraced army major. I swear these are both actual things that have happened in the show.“
Is there anything you wish to add to encourage people to come along to see Karate Man?
“This is a pretty bizarre new piece of theatre we’ve put together here. We’ve managed to pull off something highly technically ambitious while still being genuinely funny and full of heart. If you’ve ever watched a Twitch stream, been a backseat gamer, or are simply eager to feel the intoxicating power of making one poor, sweaty man keep doing burpees, then I’d suggest you make Karate Man a priority this Adelaide Fringe.
“That being said, I’m biased!!”
Karate Man – A Live-Action Video Game performs at Basement at Secret Basement @ WEA from 5.30pm on Mon 11 Mar until Sun 17 Mar.
Book at FringeTIX and adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.
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