Adelaide Fringe 2013

Uta Uber Kool Ja

Army of Love

Genre: Installation Theatre

Venue: Richmond Hotel, Rundle Mall, Adelaide

Festival: Adelaide Fringe

Low Down

Review

Interactive theatre is a lot of fun if you enjoy getting close to the performers in a show. If you are willing to let yourself become part of the entertainment without stealing the spotlight from the main characters you can find yourself learning a great deal from the experience.

Some say theatre is a psychological process that provides an opportunity for an audience to live vicariously through the act of watching characters deal with overcoming obstacles in life; you watch the way Hamlet deals with his world after the death of his father and make your own opinions about how you may deal with a similar situation.

The set up and introduction to Uta Uber Kool Ja reveals her manager and personal assistant George, a colourful and friendly fellow who meets and greets the audience then brings them up to speed with the wonderful world of Uta.

George’s briefing sets out simple rules of engagement with the pop Diva; she doesn’t like to be photographed unless she requests to be photographed, she doesn’t like to be touched but she may touch you and it’s best to be positive in her company as she can be a little moody at times.

After George’s briefing the gathering of twenty or so people cram into Uta’s hotel room for an unforgettable soiree. The Diva herself engages in some party games, talks about romance and social butterfly that she is, Uta plays the party enchantress, commanding every opportunity belong to her for the betterment of her-kind… or to put it another way, her self.

The dynamic between Uta and George is fun to watch. George being the first of the two characters we meet, and the one who gives us the head’s up on etiquette easily slips into the mode of an ally when needed and encourages all the right moves from people as Uta swings between being a pure delight to being a little more Diva than the room can accommodate.

By the end of this encounter we have travelled through a few decades of social history and landed in the now. I wouldn’t like to provide personal details of the journey because it’s really going to spoil the show. The thing I will do is suggest you go along and see her in action; be part of the entourage that makes the show what it is – quietly brilliant.

The performances are seamless, even when certain revelations come to light that are surprising and upon reflection not as surprising as you may think at first. Suffice it to say that it is very engaging and very emotional in a positive way.      

Published March 1, 2013 by David Jobling