The word that summed up this performance was ‘generous’ - how generously the audience gave of their experiences, and how generously the four talented actors, their musician and emcee extraordinaire, Manuela, gave to make it come to life.  

As first timers, we didn’t know what to expect when we were ushered into the After Dark room on Level 3 at 10-14 Pier Street, but we knew some audience participation was required. Not one to enjoy being in the spotlight, I was a bit wary of sitting in the front row. After some coaxing, a few braver souls ventured forward. However, truth be told, once the performance started, everyone got involved and it didn’t really matter where you were seated. Hands started coming up as Manuela asked us to complete the sentence, “Life begins at...?”  

Every night would be different as the actors have to riff off the stories that emerge from around the group. Playback Theatre, celebrating 40 years of improv, is a dab hand at this. I was taken by the amusing story of how life began for one person after he literally stepped off a cliff and became addicted to abseiling. This was followed by the story of a French man whose life began when his family moved to Australia when he was 11 years old. He confessed that he was now more Aussie than French and felt like a tourist whenever he visited France.  

The magic happens when each story is told by the audience member, then ‘played back’ by the actors. The way they question, listen and then interpret the words is creative, amusing and sometimes surprising. When you hear the story and then watch the action, it becomes a much richer experience. Sure, the actors have their bag of tricks to relate each experience in a structured format, but the words are the authentic words of the audience, which made it personal and engaging.  

We all gave a big sigh when the show was over, the hour passed too quickly! For someone who loves acting and the making of theatre, this show was greatly enjoyable.