‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ // Hey Dowling and Amazon Woman Enterprises
‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ was an adventure.
Never before have I attended a play where I felt so much a part of it. Not just immersed, but as a cast member of the production.
Queenie van de Zandt’s latest production, ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ truly made the audience feel as though they could place this experience on their directing or acting CV. Not only did they feel like a director, but the production felt as if we weren’t attending theatre at all, but rather a gathering of friends hanging out on their phones. Audiences are always been told smartphones do not belong in the stalls, so it felt unreal to have them on, and to look at a sea of bright rectangles in the rows in front. The audience participation was a hilarious element, as we collectively laughed along with the casual cabaret and sang along with the songs. ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ is a show to relax and unwind to. It’s a show where you won’t be afraid to be yourself, to find yourself, to be loud, and as will be mentioned further on, change history.
In ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’, audiences were welcomed into a room with a stunning late-40s piano. The adventure theme was complete with antique suitcases that were seamlessly integrated into the modern world with contemporary girl-power stickers. A few framed feminist posters and a music stand completed the look. The feel of an antique cabaret was brought to timeless and contemporary minds through the inclusion of feminist quotes and memorabilia, which was displayed digitally on a scrim.
van de Zandt has adopted this format and has performed several ‘editions’ of the show. This was not performed as a typical cabaret would, as van de Zandt went out of her creative way to reinvent the concept entirely. Instead, audience members were asked to download an app, and during the play, were given questions that guided the performance. The audience voted on which songs were sung, and what games were played during the performance, and there was some trivia too. It was very fun and very funny, but as is typical, the technology wasn’t perfect, and some audience members did not know how to use it. van de Zandt did an excellent job making this part of the performance overall, which gave the composite a very relaxed vibe. Nevertheless, it required every audience member to have a working smartphone which isn’t always the case. The technology was not foolproof, and fixing it took time away. The performance was at its zenith, and the audience felt most at home when there was direct communication between van de Zandt and the audience.
As someone whose career is their spouse, feminism is a large part of this reviewer’s life. I truly would not be where I am without it, but I never think about it, and in van de Zandt’s production, you thought about feminism. ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ makes you lament at the joys of being a woman and lets you giggle at the parts of our lives that we are not supposed to; remember to vote for the poo story from ‘Hair’. Most importantly, van de Zandt shows you the importance of finding your place in womanhood and stepping forth to make a change. One story van de Zandt told that resonated was about a collective of women who would often sync their cycles. This parable lets us walk out of this performance remembering that womanhood is a journey of love and support. I walked out of the theatre with a reinvigorated perception of my own feminism.
van de Zandt talked a lot about strong voices but had one that truly shone. Her voice is something very special, and when van de Zandt sang, everyone went quiet, a few bobbed but the rest were in awe. With Mark Jones on piano, the music was complete. We got to hear Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell and Barbara Streisand. Her rendition of ‘A Star is Born’, features rich belting and raw vibrato.
In ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’, van de Zandt brought charm and humour to feminist classics. My advice is, skip the smartphones, sing all the songs and tell all the poo stories. It’s worth it.
‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ performed for two nights only, 8-9 March 2024. For more information about the production and Queenie van de Zandt, visit her official website.
