Wanderlust

Late-night, interactive theatre is daunting and difficult to pull off. A small, reticent audience, bumbling around and staring hesitantly but hopefully at their tormentors, necessarily affects the pace of show and makes it rough round the edges.

The ten-foot faux-German mistress of ceremonies, Hilda, is unfazed by this, however. Stalking about on her enormous stilts, this powerhouse is by turns sinister and loving as she relates her magical history from tiny Bavarian girl who fell in love with an enormous clown, to collector of beauty and global saviour. At no point does Jessica Weinstein’s eerie facade slip.

With filmed sequences, loud music and puppetry, there is no lack of imagination here. Sadly, however, Hilda’s yarn is not always audible, due to a muffled mic. More singing would work better as the beat poetry can be hard to follow.

The audience is eased into participating in a snowball fight and spontaneous dance, amongst other effects. Vodka shots are dished out to stiffen the nerves. Two Lederhosen-clad assistants, one a violin-playing mute, work to involve all in the unfolding twisted wonderland. Bold souls may well find themselves at home in this weird world.