A unique, interactive theatrical experience that beautifully breaks the fourth wall, creating fleeting connections between strangers at this year’s Adelaide Fringe.
Presented by Tilda Cobham-Hervey
Reviewed 12 March 2021
Embrace the fear and meet a complete stranger, as Adelaide actress, Tilda Cobham-Hervey guides an unfamiliar interaction with an unfamiliar person, creating connection within a disconnected world in this brilliant, interactive theatrical experience.
Meeting strangers can cause all kinds of anxieties, stresses and last-minute cancellations, as well all know. But, we are also suffering as a society with a loneliness epidemic, with many lacking the connection that makes living feel meaningful within our modern, fast-paced world. Adelaide-based actress and 2021 Adelaide Fringe Ambassador, Tilda Cobham-Hervey (Hotel Mumbai, I Am Woman), acknowledges and confronts the overwhelming feeling that comes from realising that you’re one single person in this massive world of billions; the fear of inevitable death and the stresses life can have. She does this by emphasising to her audience the importance of noticing and appreciating small things; raising your eyes to the fluffy clouds in the sky, taking a moment to observe those around you, reading a thoughtfully written letter, or embracing a fleeting connection with a stranger.
Tilda has inspirationally managed to develop a show that sees eager audience members paying money to be placed in an unusual and unfamiliar situation with a total stranger (if you followed the instructions correctly on the show’s page and only booked a single ticket for the show). These lucky audience members are in for a treat.
Honestly, I believe that it’s better to say less about this show than more, so this won’t be a long review. Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar… is simply a show that needs to be experienced at this year’s (and hopefully in future years) Adelaide Fringe by the audience. Going into the show with less knowledge about the plot and layout will make this interactive show that much more enjoyable, and also open the somewhat conservative people of Adelaide up to a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical and artistic experience they may never have again.
Uniquely, audience members also get to take home physical mementos, including random items like a potato, as well as their very own “memoir” – a booklet that will remain as evidence of their connection with a complete stranger on a day in March in 2021, plus a photo that will be a reminder of the beauty of small connections – here one minute, and gone the next.
Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar… may feel overwhelmingly meaningful, bordering on corny for some. But, if you choose to embrace and engage with Tilda’s sometimes truthfully confronting (but also humorous) running monologue, her direct instructions and unusual requests, you will find yourself in a thought-provoking, and honestly quite moving experience that will stay in your mind long after you’ve left the bar.
Reviewed by Georgina Smerd
Venue: The Lab, 63 Light Square, Adelaide
Season: 11th – 21st March 2021
Duration: 40 mins
Tickets: Sold Out
Bookings: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/two-strangers-walk-into-a-bar-af2021
Rating out of 5: 4.5
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