People are bound to misbehave at this show
Cabaret Festival
Miss Behave is set to do anything but when she brings her game show back to town for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
Described as part game show, part variety show and part disco, Miss Behave’s Gameshow comes with an ages-16-plus recommendation and warnings of coarse language, nudity and haze effects.
Although rude interruptions from hand-held devices are ordinarily shunned in the theatre, host Miss Behave (the alter-ego of producer and performer Amy Saunders) makes it a staple of her performance, encouraging audience members to interact by using their mobile phones.
The result, she says, is borderline bedlam.
“I wanted to do something you could do anywhere, something that was distinctly messy and lo-fi, something that would be the opposite of everything that’s glamorous,” she tells InDaily.
“I’ve never seen audiences go this crazy, like lose-their-minds crazy, without the obligation that they have to, and I think that’s the key to it all.”
Miss Behave – a record-breaking sword swallower who has previously hosted hit shows La Clique and La Soiree – initially trialled her unorthodox idea in a sideshow tent at the Adelaide Fringe. Since then, Miss Behave’s Gameshow has toured extensively in Australia and overseas, and is currently being developed as a TV show.
Get InReview in your inbox – free each Saturday. Local arts and culture – covered.
Thanks for signing up to the InReview newsletter.
“New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, America, UK and Europe – they all just go mad!” Miss Behave says of the show’s success.
“I think the reason I’ve been able to go around the world with it is because it’s offering something relatively unique and quite apt for now.
“It’s how we really use our phones; how we really are in everyday life.”
But the gameshow isn’t a free-for-all: Miss Behave acts as the puppet master, allowing madness to erupt, but always within a controlled structure.
“It doesn’t descend into chaos and anarchy, because that’s just messy and boring… it’s pushing people’s psychological buttons so that they can go over the top, but at a certain point I’ll pull them back.”
Although it might challenge notions of “cabaret”, Miss Behave’s Gameshow creates the traditional atmosphere of the art, incorporating music and satire. The host promises a unique experience for audiences that provides more than just a laugh.
“They’re going to watch a funny show, but in some ways they’re also going to watch quite an interesting anthropological study in how humans behave.”
Miss Behave’s Gameshow will be at the Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, from June 16-18 as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
Support local arts journalism
Your support will help us continue the important work of InReview in publishing free professional journalism that celebrates, interrogates and amplifies arts and culture in South Australia.
Donate Here
Comments
Show comments Hide comments