Revolt Productions presents Omega Quest – A review by Andy Harmsen

Omega Quest at Revolt Artspace, Kensington - 14th-25th August @ 7.30pm (2pm Matinee's Sat/Sun) $35 Full $30 Conc + Gr 6

Revolt Productions' latest is a magical journey through time and space. It was a sheer joy to be in the audience for this delightful and ingenious production.

Adam is the last surviving human being after an apocalyptic asteroid destroys Earth and is fated to traverse the universe forever, alone.

Omega Quest is a combination of spectacle, puppetry and the sweet melancholy of the apocalypse. It is a unique theatrical experience that almost defies description. There are laser beams, galaxies, aliens and androids that all come to life through a compelling synthesis of live performance and puppetry.

In writing about such a review you cannot avoid reverting to child-like language in order to capture the wondrous feeling of being catapulted into space for the first time.

Accompanying the visual feast on offer is a wonderfully cinematic score, composed by director Tim Mager, in the vein of Alexander Courage’s early work for the Star Trek franchise. It captured that lovely nostalgia and unique sense of discovery that are the hallmarks of sci-fi flicks from the 50s and 60s. There was a lovely classical symmetry of sound design and b-movie, Forbidden Planet, scenery that rolled out seamlessly over the show’s hour or so running time. It is a relentless journey, leaving no time for the audience to catch their breath before plummeting onto a new alien world.

Watching this delightful production puts you in three states of mind. The first is a kind of child-like joy at the sheer spectacle of the team’s work. The second is a sense of marvel at the technical precision of the whole ensemble. The technical choreography and the amazing light and sound show were chin-strokingly impressive. The third, and I’m not ashamed to admit this, is the sheer suspension of cynical disbelief in the whole intergalactic world on show. Throughout Omega Quest I found myself slipping into a euphoria - mouth open in a wide smile - watching Adam and his trusty android side-kick combat teleporting light monsters or a fight to the death with a terrifying latex squid monster. Watch as Adam, in full spacesuit, plummets from zero-gravity orbit to the pock-marked surface of an alien world and try not to giggle like a 10 year old boy again.

It is hard to give credit where credit is due. Of the nine individual puppeteers, performers, various technical operators and designers, it is difficult to say where one role ended and another began. Director Tim Mager has created a wonderful world with the help of his designers - Ryan Hodge on lights, Sorjeri Tane and Kim Richie on costumes and Dieter Barry on props and monsters – that touches the heart, stirs the inner-child and blasts the senses.

The cast and their remarkably designed and choreographed characters was a slick and professional unit. Francis Mcmahon, as our hero, along with Tim Sketcher, Benji Gronewegan, Cam Faull, Leif Helland, Alya Manzart, Simone Ivkovic, Josh Karlik and Sophie Easthope are all skilled puppeteers to be sure. However, it is their work as an ensemble that make Omega Quest shine.

 Get alone to see Revolt Production’s, Omega Quest, because you won’t find anything like it on this planet or the next.

Revolt Artspace, Kensington - 14th-25th August @ 7.30pm (2pm Matinee's Sat/Sun) $35 Full $30 Conc + Gr 6

Tickets available online @

http://sa2.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/TicketRequest?eventId=100658373&presenter=AUREVOLT&venue=&event=

Andy Harmsen