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We May Have to Choose

 
James Beagon Review by James Beagon 4 Published: 19 Aug 2015 Laughing Horse @ Espionage Show Dates: 7 Aug 2015-29 Aug 2015

We May Have To Choose is a one-person show performed by Emma Hall. The structure is refreshingly simple. For 45 minutes, she states 621 different opinions and declarations about the world around her.

One for those looking for something genuinely unique and thought-provoking.

What at first seem to be random statements going off on tangents slowly become more linked. As the show progresses, you begin to hear the single word or phrase that you deduce must lead to the next statement in a bizarre but intriguing game of word association. Emma Hall is a captivating performer, communicating her intro and outro silently through the use of cards and only speaking to enunciate her declarations.

The declarations flit between light-hearted and serious, adding a welcome tone of dark humour to proceedings. A compassionate observation about migrants may be followed by a remark that all babies are surprisingly ugly. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly why this show works, but it mostly does. You do start to realise midway through that you’ve forgotten the vast majority of the statements preceding the current one, though: as Hall notes in a remark about Snapchat, all communication is temporary anyway.

A truly different show on at the Free Fringe, We May Have To Choose is one for those looking for something genuinely unique and thought-provoking.

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The Blurb:

Winner: 2015 Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award - Best Theatre. A monologue of sorts, a list of 621 declarations about the universe. A darkly humorous solo show that asks: in a dying world, what is it to speak one's mind? "a refreshingly experimental performance... surprisingly funny... provocative...an introspective experience" (Buzzcuts.org.au). Australian performer Emma Hall creates a funny, withering, and moving piece about the fallibility of thought in our quest to solve the riddles of our world. I think therefore I am…often wrong. **** 'smart, fun and distinctly different' (TheatreGuide.com.au). **** (RipItUp.com.au).