Review by Emily Smith
Once every ten years, on Christmas Day, a colossal storm wreaks havoc on Scarney Island and all the inhabitants evacuate to the mainland for safety. That is, until one year in the 1920s when more than the usual essential workers remain on the island for the destructive welkin…
Call of Cthulhu is a table-top roleplaying game (hence RPG) akin to Dungeons & Dragons. Rather than existing in a general fantasy world it is themed around the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, specifically the Cthulhu Mythos. First things first, you do not have to have read any Lovecraft, played any of the game, or even know about the cosmic entity Cthulhu (part-octopus part-dragon) to enjoy the show. I went into the Subiaco Arts Centre armed only with a vague understanding of monstrous creatures invading 1920s Britain. And even that much was explained by enigmatic Keeper of the Lore (game master), Scott McArdle.
In a quick 15 minutes at the start of the show Scott took us through the game mechanics (simplified for the show), the concept of improvised roleplaying games, and the context of the story that was about to unfold. Very quickly and without assuming any prior knowledge he whizzed us through what we needed to know and took audience suggestions for certain parts of the story. That’s right, the improv of Improv RPG is not just part of the title, every game every night is different and shaped by the audience’s (often hilarious) input. That’s not to stress out those who fear audience participation; anyone who wished to call out suggestions could (and many did, nerds are quite vocal when put in a room together) but no one was required to go on stage or called upon unheeded.
Once everyone understood what was happening and the atmosphere of organised chaos had been established, we got to meet our players…
Enter St John Cowcher, playing Thomas Ward the American ornithologist and photographer visiting the island in the hopes of photographing the yellow-breasted blackbird (an audience suggestion). In this first night our Yank visited the kooky ex-constable and birdwatcher played by Scott in a child’s dressing gown, and struck up a potential connection with his daughter, the local radio jockey. The conversation between St John and Scott as they teased out important plot info and decided halfway through that Scott’s character had been naked under his dressing gown the entire time (hey, that’s improv!) was so funny even the actors had to break to laugh. I had tears in my eyes and I thought someone in the front row was going to have a fit as Scott slowly uncrossed his legs mid-conversation.
Equally hilarious at improvising within a chaotic storyline was Harriet Hunt playing island resident Claire Wicker, the first player to trigger the game’s ‘madness’ mechanic. Apparently derived from the original game but adapted to be suitable for a live show and more sensitive to sufferers of mental health conditions (something that H.P. Lovecraft almost certainly was), this rule is guaranteed to up the chaos and cause hilarity. When the players encountered something horrifically Lovecraftian their brains descended into madness and a randomly selected condition was applied to them. Claire had a great time only speaking in echoes of other characters and bamboozling the other characters until she regained her sanity.
The third and final player character, Father Jack Bailey, was played by Dean Lovatt (of Bogan Shakespeare fame). Decked out in a dog collar and sneakers he was a most unusual priest, his colourful background having been assigned by an audience suggestion. Dean’s violent solution to a feral cat attacking Claire’s face was so funny and well-timed the entire audience was in hysterics for a full minute. The surprising priest was also the first to encounter an eldritch horror: a colossally tentacled creature with a gaping maw the size of a church wall. This is a spoiler I am not worried about telling you as it is required information to watch the second and third show this Friday and Saturday. The beauty of improv is you’ll never see the same show twice.
In this role-playing show the Scarney ferry port, local pub, radio tower, spooky forest, and burnt down church are all concocted by words alone, as the Improv RPG Presents team have no set other than a box of props (mostly hats). Live musicians Ryan Hunt (piano) and Sam Knox (voice) brilliantly scored the action with atmospheric music, including improvised sea shanties and radio music appropriate to the 1920s with a creepy twist.
Helping out the Keeper of the Lore was Kate Sophia Willoughby as ‘The NPC’. For those not in the know, that’s Non-Player Character, so Kate changed hats (literally) every few minutes to play a new islander to help move the story along. Her improvisational skills are phenomenal and she took every new development from the players in her stride, including as a harassed HR consultant (another bizarre audience suggestion) who reminded anyone chasing down eldritch horrors to lift with their legs not their back.
Improv RPG Presents: Call of Cthulhu is a hysterical adventure for nerds and newbies alike. Everyone should experience the fun at least once, although I doubt anyone’s ability not to go back again and again. The show is on at Subiaco Arts Centre from 30th January to the 1st February.
