This Gaming Life: Tripod with the ASO
Cabaret Festival
So what’s the big deal with gaming? Ask Tripod, because they’ll tell you.
Yon will say that if it has guns, it works. Gatesy will say if there are squares on a screen – old school – then he likes it. Scod will say there’s safety in numbers; the numbers will help you know how the game will play out.
So if that last one sounds a bit obscure (and it shouldn’t if you think about it hard enough), it’s because you’re not a gamer, right? That’s where I fall. I wanted to go to see Tripod and have some laughs with my teenage son (who quite likes “games” but is perhaps not as intense as “gamers” are). So is this a show for Tripod fans or for gamers, and is there a fine balance between the two?
Get InReview in your inbox – free each Saturday. Local arts and culture – covered.
Thanks for signing up to the InReview newsletter.
The tuxes worn by the trio were a gorgeous touch. And the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra? Jeeze, my son saw them with the Hilltop Hoods in April and now this, so I do believe the boy is getting spoiled.
Austin Wintory (composer for games such Journey and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate) not only led the ASO but chit-chatted with Tripod in between songs, and even considered ousting one member to join the crew. Then there’s the epic lighting – this show is really big.
My first instinct is to tell you that if you’re a gamer and you like comedians who make up songs parodying gaming, you’ll love this show. Following on, I’ll say that if you’re a gamer – full stop – you’ll love this show. But if you’re a non-gamer and want to see what Tripod’s up to, I’m not entirely sure it works. It’s niche. Very specific. Too specific? I think so.
What is present in this show is the group personality that is Tripod: the loveable larrikins who have a great time making fun of themselves and each other while cleverly lyricising narratives. What is also present is the individual personalities of the three members that make up Tripod: one likes guns, one likes squares and one likes numbers; they all like each other.
What’s missing in this show is a universality that can take gaming to an audience who doesn’t game but just likes Tripod. But then, maybe it’s all an intervention for Scud and I should be more sympathetic.
These guys are so endearing that I think yes, I should be more sympathetic. I want to be more sympathetic. But sorry, I can’t.
Tripod performed one show only of This Gaming Life with the ASO at the Festival Theatre. The Adelaide Cabaret Festival continues until June 25.
See all InDaily’s Cabaret Festival stories and reviews here.
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