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DRAMA & DANCE
vines, as well as a perilous maze and an underseascape after the monsoon. Multi-roling out of the Chorus of the Game, in notable cameos, were Oscar Howley as Alan Parrish, full of pent-up adolescent abandonment and fury; Niccolò Robertson and Eliot Edwards as the sparring but endearing brothers Peter and Jack Shepherd; and Sam Izbicki doubling as the repentant father Edgar Parrish and the Hunter who stalked the game to protect the children. Tai Barrett-Hay and Freddie Greenwood threaded this all together, appearing with intent and command from the shadows, and delivering beguiling rhymes with composure and intrigue. We were taken by the scruff of the neck and thrown into this magical world, as we joined the protagonists in their quest to complete the game and escape Jumanji ! The Big Bad Wolf is a fictional beast appearing in several cautionary tales, including some of Aesop’s Fables and Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Inspired by the true story of Jordan Belfort, the infamous ‘Wolf of Wall Street’, the ensemble devised a fast- paced, raucous cautionary tale, with the resounding message: ‘I got greedy – greed is not good.’ Blending Emma Rice’s signature theatrical tropes with the true history of corporate greed, the skilled ensemble of Sonny Birrane, Max Constantinou, George Loynes, Jonathan Millis and Shay Patel took us on an exciting, surreal, thought-provoking and witty retelling of a well-known story. Dance, music, caricature and multi-roling all lent themselves to this dynamic and lively ensemble piece. Belfort lives a life of luxury: money, mansions, yachts, champagne – he’s got it all. But all of this comes from taking money out of other people’s pockets. How long can it last? Birrane played the notorious fraudster with arrogant charm and a hint of menace, which was poignantly laid bare during a sequence revealing the backstories of his victims, reminding us of the resounding legacy of swindling the vulnerable out of their life savings in pursuit of get-rich-quick schemes. There was some excellent physical choreography on display from this skilled cohort, including heart- in-the-mouth lifts and spins as they conjured the shifting worlds of the smooth-talking brokers, flunkies, pilots, stewards, waiters, croupiers, gamblers, hustlers and streetwise FBI detectives. This was all framed through the device of a game show, compèred by Millis, who excelled as the ridiculously cheesy host. Once again this was ensemble playing of the highest dramatic order and both casts had clearly researched and experimented with Rice’s approaches to emulate her skill in storytelling. As David Farr from Bristol Old Vic states: ‘when you get innovative visual theatre allied with classical storytelling, you get something that audiences respond to immediately.’ Thus it was that Year 12 Theatre Studies students delighted their audience of parents and peers with their presentation of these original pieces, promising ever-greater honing and refining of their already exceptional performance work, as they move into Year 13.
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