What happens when a young dictator demands to go to a Western capitalist theme park? Delightful chaos, courtesy of Five Days More…
For legal reasons the park in question isn’t the one you might be thinking of, despite the knock-off mouse, duck and dog mascots. But the rampant souvenir tat-based capitalism is the same, and among it our unlikely hero sells takomaki from his food stand, waiting for his time to serve his country.
The set is charmingly low-budget; everything is cardboard and papier mâché, from the magical castle to the chunky mobile phone wielded by the general watching over his sleeper agent. The dictator being represented by a small pair of shoes is especially adorable! There’s a good dollop of humour, a fairytale romance, and even a surprise betrayal; naturally it’s heavy on the satire too. The dictator dragging our hapless hero around waving his dad’s credit card, to buy everything from toys to premium platinum liability insurance for climbing around the park buildings, is very on the nose!
Vocally the actors were fantastic, in particular the protagonist; there were a few tech hitches where the music was a little loud and there was mic feedback, but the cast took it in their stride.
The Spy Who Came In From The Park is a fun, surreal trip into the follies of capitalism, childhood wonder and the power of a good takomaki.
****
The Spy Who Came In From The Park is at Greenside George Street from Aug 17-22 at 15:00