Miss Revolutionary Idol Berserker – Living Life As A Bowl Of Miso Soup – OzAsia Festival Review

[JAPAN] Rehearsal Room via Dunstan Playhouse Foyer, Wed 30 Sep I have no idea what just happened! But I’d do it again in a flash! This surreal OzAsia event is the brainchild of director, performer and choreographer Toko Nikaido. In what can only be described as sensory insanity, Miss Revolutionary Idol Berserker is a creation all of its own and 50 minutes you could happily relive over and over. Prior to entering the theatre, audience members are advised to don protective ponchos and to replace their footwear with the supplied disposable thongs – a very wise move! It wouldn’t matter where you chose to sit, you are not exempt from being showered with buckets of water, streamers, seaweed and tofu – although taking a seat at the front puts you in the direct firing line. Any preconceptions you have will barely come close to the reality – or non-reality – of this show. Nothing will prepare you for the visual overload or the liquid onslaught. Miss Revolutionary Idol Berserker is the psychedelic train-wreck that you just can’t look away from, a road crash of traditional and modern cultures, an explosion of colour and sound. It’s the strangest, most bizarre, amazing, wonderful and confusing bowl of Miso soup that you will ever experience; the epitome of consumerism and our modern-day throw-away culture. I’m not even sure if we completely understood what was going on but I found myself being so delightfully engrossed in the madness; it was strange and captivating, weird yet beautiful, ridiculous and unusual… and nothing that one would consider as “normal” theatre. It was wet, messy and indulgent as 25 performers danced and sang on stage and in the audience without inhibition. It was like a maniac Japanese Game Show – times a thousand. By the end, the entire audience were on the stage as the cast members cheered from our seats. It was slippery, dangerous and exciting and an experience we were glad to be a part of. Miss Revolutionary Idol Berserker is nothing that you could ever expect and something that you just can’t allow yourself to miss. Don’t try to understand it, don’t try to quantify what is happening or why, just live in the moment – the strangest and truly unforgettable moment imaginable. It’s the most colourful and inclusive piece of non-theatre on offer at this year’s OzAsia Festival; a kaleidoscope of pop music, house party, light and sound with the best “after-the-show-has-already-ended” ending ever! Phew! Catherine Blanch Miss Revolutionary Idol Berserker continues at Rehearsal Room via Dunstan Playhouse Foyer, Adelaide Festival Centre, until Sat 3 Oct. Book at BASS on 131 246 and bass.net.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.