This Is It

To be a good improvisational actor or a good journalist you need preparation and background information. Fortunately for the audience of This Is It, the background is provided in the form of a press kit, providing context for the next hour’s improvised press conference.

This is not the type of performance where you can just sit back and watch. To get the most out of it, the audience must put themselves into the role of journalist and ask questions of the cast. It will take some people out of their comfort zone, but well-posed questions can lead the discussion in unexpected directions.

The set is simple but effective. It emulates a real-life press conference beautifully, from the wall emblazoned with the film title to the constant flash of cameras from the back of the room.

After a preview screening the previous night, the three stars of the new movie This Is It are ready for a grilling. We are treated to some snippets that give us a “reminder” of the film — a dark thriller directed by Dara Gill. When the stars emerge, they seem comfortable in the limelight. Perhaps they are a little too comfortable as they send up the image of celebrity with posturing and waving. The audience, who haven’t quite warmed up, are unsure how to take it.

Fortunately the guest host, Nathanael Cooper – Arts Editor of The Courier-Mail – is ready with some questions to start the ball rolling. Once the audience gets into it, the questions become very curly and the true improvisation begins, bringing with it hearty laughs.

These actors don’t shy away from any line of questioning. On opening night they admirably handled questions about costuming, off-screen romance, the price of celebrity and union action relating to their treatment on set. The willingness of the audience to go along for the ride plays a huge part in making this performance an enjoyable piece of theatre.

It’s clear that Team MESS know their background material very well and relish the challenge when an audience member sends them on an unexpected tangent. It’s gratifying to watch actors taking genuine pleasure in their craft. While the piece is framed in fiction the hesitation is real, the nervous looks are real and the laughter is real.

If you’re looking for a straight narrative, you might need to look a little further into the World Theatre Festival program. But if you’re looking for a theatre experience where you play an active part in the performance, this is it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Brisbane Powerhouse and Team MESS present
This Is It
Part of the World Theatre Festival 2012
Created and performed by Team MESS: Malcolm Whittaker, Natalie Kate Randall and Frank B Mainoo
Featuring guest host Nathanael Cooper, Arts Editor The Courier-Mail

Brisbane Powerhouse
16–19 February 2012
Bookings: www.worldtheatrefestival.com