Game?

121329 original

In Game? even the audience is instructed to play by the rules. Mobiles off, clap at the end, don't fall asleep. If it had not been for the fairly decent soundtrack I would have been in grave danger of violating the third of those commandments.

The premise behind Game? is that, away from the childhood playground, the adult world is still governed by game playing, manipulation and designated boundaries. Valid point. The interaction of two couples at a party forms the basis of the play. Becoming increasingly childlike in their behaviour, the men turn to arguing about who can hold their breath for longer, whilst their partners giggle and flirt with the audience.

There is a shift in tone as the games get more out of hand, and certainly dirtier. Unfortunately, the childish shock tactics employed are often nauseating and plain daft, as actors regurgitate and re-eat handfuls of marshmallows and simulate fisting. The difficulty with grown men and women continuously parodying child's play on stage is that the energetic silliness lacks the power to hold your interest for the play's duration. Despite moments of humour, Game? lacked a genuine sense of fun. The pantomime nature of the action had me flitting between wanting to shout "he's behind you" and running for the exit.