Words Wal Reid
Wellington’s Binge Culture’s production Yorick! is a real surprise – in a pleasant way I mean. Its a mix of comedy, music and dance that doesn’t compete against each other while being entertaining. Each segment morphing seamlessly into the next scene without fuss, while visually the space is more than effectively used by the actors onstage.
The show, as you can guess from the title, is shaped by Shakespeare’s Hamlet and one of its characters Ophelia, carefully juxtaposed between ‘Life and Death’, Yorick! explores an unhindered look into the lives of three friends, convincingly played by Rachel Baker, Freya Finch and the irresistible Isobel MacKinnon, who rue the consequences of life.
The faux relationship between the trio is tight, their individual temperaments shine through, accented by nice interactive moments, scenes, like the beginning when the lights go out and hearing voices in the dark, was a nice introduction to the show, or the types of people “Who will die” (in the future) is very funny.
Yorick!’s dialogue is quick and witty, with its thick as lard drama that leaves the viewer with profound effect. If you like your theatre with a raw truthfulness that undresses the issues that surround life and its intricate mysteries, then Yorick! will more than fulfil. Its a novel musical slash play tackling Mortality and our approach to life, while exploring the lives of others.
I enjoyed the show. The dialogue crisp and fast, the songs dark, sharp, witty, while the performances delivered with gusto and fanfare. It’s an energetic and novel way to present one of life’s big mysteries, bigger, it seems than Shakespeare’s Hamlet or Douglas Adam’s Hitchhikers Guide to The Universe’s answer to Life.
The show is on until June 23rd at Auckland’s Q Theatre, its playing as part of the Matchbox 2018 Season, so you still have time to check out before it gets moved along. Yorick! will have you questioning whether you should get a will or not, plus, keyboardist Oliver ‘Ollie’ Devlin’s occasional ‘pearls of wisdom’ and background tinkering on keys, will keep audiences & the trio on their toes before the show’s timely departure.
