Ride or Die is a grim satire that rewards the attentive viewer. Despite satire’s demanding nature, the action scenes and character development have enough substance to engage those who are there to be entertained rather than provoked. It’s got spies, it’s got romance, it’s got a poignant commentary of Perth.
Set in the fictional Venture Land theme park, Megan Mak’s set design gives a sense of flow for both the audience and the actors to move around. This can create challenges for the actors to balance their presence out in some of the busier scenes that take advantage of the expansive set. However that busyness could also be intended to exacerbate the heat in this action-packed story.
Ride or Die. Photography by Ethan Jackson.
The action genre is well executed. Under the direction of Harper Nguyen and Parker Horne, fight scenes make clever use of the set design to disguise and distract the audience just enough to give us a sense of realism. Along with their co-direction, Harper and Parker also served as writers for this production. It was original and refreshing, cleverly folding in nuanced themes that don’t overthink their delivery. The twist at the end probably won’t come as a surprise to those in the resistance (IYKYK). In one suspenseful scene when a gun is mistaken for a toy, I found myself holding my breath.
It’s exciting to see such a large cast for a show in Perth’s humble theatre scene. The rich talents of this cast pull together a substantive narrative that feels yet to reach its full potential. Oliver Hughes’ performance stood out as someone to watch out for in future productions.
Ride or Die pushes the boundaries of theatre and takes full advantage of all the elements that make this form of performance unique. The immediacy was potent and this team nailed the premise that theatre need not be limited to a stage.
Ride or Die presented by The Almost Collective is on at The Blue Room Theatre from June 9-27.