On Thursday night we went to see Jon Gracey's Werewolf: Live.

On Thursday night we went to see Jon Gracey's Werewolf: Live. This is a variation on the card game Mafia, done as a panel game. Now that sounds pretty mild, but no no no. If you have played Werewolf or any of its variants you will understand the psychological thrill of the game, and the intrinsic black humour of the situation of trying to get a lynch mob to hang anyone but you. But to be an observer of the unfolding drama adds a voyeuristic cheerfulness all its own. Like watching the opener of a Columbo episode, you will know whodunnit after the second night - unless you're a volunteer from the audience yourself. What you won't know until the end is whether the Werewolf/ves will get away with it at the end of the session.

So how it goes - Jon, our energetic, enthusiastic and well directing narrator in his Cloak of Foreshadowing Doom +2 narrates to a bunch of finely selected comedians and one (lucky) audience member - all of whom are wearing fabulous hats. The villagers sleep, the werewolves are directed to slay someone, the Seer has a vision, and the villagers wake to find that someone/s amongst them must be a murderer, as someone doesn't wake. The roles are dealt randomly, and as far as everyone knows, anyone could be a werewolf, a seer or a villager. But there is only one seer, and there might be one or two werewolves.

If you are killed, you lose your hat. But if you're the first killed, you get a special hat, so it's not so bad. No, wait...

All fairly straightforward and a game we've seen many times played at clubs, conventions and game nights. Add a bunch of highly diverse comedians who are keen not to get killed by the mob and the laughs come thick and fast. "I'm an emergency nurse, I haven't killed anyone for ages!" "I haven't killed anyone. Except for that dwarf, years ago." "If you're an astronomer, you should KNOW whether the moon is full!" (The audience member that time was Gemma, the astronomer. And she did.)

It's quite funny when the people aren't familiar with the nuances of the game. Some comedians just can't help making faces or gestures when they're supposed to be silently agreeing on who to kill, so even people with their eyes closed will sense that the person next to them might be nefarious if they're moving. But they just can't help themselves!

It was a star lineup - and this is my favourite way to see comedy - when the comedians are out of their element and under unusual pressures.
Also, you're getting very good bang for your buck, not only is it being shown at the prestigious State Theatre Centre, (go out on the balcony before the show and take in the city view, it's astonishing!), you get to see 8 really good comedians at once, and the interactions are glorious.

On Thursday night we had Milo McCabe, Georgie Carroll, Dirk Darrow, Louisa Fitzhardinge (Comma Sutra), John Robles, Rose Callaghan and Michael Shafar - as well as our dynamic Narrator of Doom Jon Gracey.

Tonight's guests are Yianni Agisilaou, Kate Smurthwaite, Michael Shafar, Sharon Mahoney, John Robles, Mary Bourke, and Milo McCabe.

There are shows tonight and tomorrow.

Thoroughly recommended for gamers, for gamers to take their non-gaming friends and family to, for non-gaming people who want to give their gaming friends and family a treat, people who just want a laugh and studiers of mob psychology.

10/10 hilarious and The Marx Brothers on the Orient Express on the Sid and Nancy Scale.

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https://fringeworld.com.au/whats_on/werewolf-live-fw2019