Following sell-out fringe runs in Australia and a Best in Interactive win at Adelaide Fringe 2025, Karate Man - A Live-Action Video Game makes its UK debut at Islington's Hen & Chickens Theatre for three nights only.
The concept behind Beak Comedy's production is genuinely brilliant and highly original. The premise of the world's first playable comedy show, where the audience dictates the main character's moves like kick, block, move left, or grab, promises a unique, unpredictable experience every single night.
Karate Man (Bruno Dubosarsky) defeated arch-nemesis Ross Roundkick (Jacob Henegan) and saved Karatetown back in 198X. Now it's 20XX, and he's facing his most difficult adventure yet... ordinary life. His glory days are decades behind him and his marriage to Kara (Alexandra Smith) is facing the looming threat of divorce. All our hero has now is a chaotic crowd controlling his every move.
One of the highlights of the evening is how genuinely immersive and interactive the structure feels. Rather than keeping the power with one person, a clear instruction sounds, signalling the next player to take their turn. The retro gaming controller is then passed along in the audience, allowing almost everyone in the room to take a turn steering the action, helping Karate Man make huge life choices, including a career path, which all lead to a grand finale. This approach to audience participation successfully creates a sense of community and keeps everyone involved and invested in the unfolding narrative.
However, despite this fantastic foundation, the execution of this UK debut at the Hen and Chickens Theatre does not quite hit the mark. While some find the humour funny, others do not. Because the slapstick doesn't always land, the 50-minute runtime feels quite long at times and struggles to maintain momentum.
Staging a physical, video-game-themed show requires a lot of technical and physical coordination, which is unfortunately hindered by the small stage design, which feels quite basic and heavily cramped. At times it feels like the actors are restricted with their moving on and off the set, which affects the overall flow of the action. Additionally, the costumes are very simplistic and lack the polish you might expect from an award-winning fringe hit.
That being said, it is important to recognise the immense courage, creativity, and hard work that goes into making a live, interactive show. The cast definitely deserves a lot of credit for their energy and willingness to put themselves out there, especially considering their energetic performances coincide with a UK heatwave. Managing a live performance that changes entirely based on random audience commands is an incredibly difficult feat, and the team's dedication to the concept is highly commendable.
As a work-in-progress preview, this run is explicitly designed to test the waters and smooth out the bumps. While the current execution needs significant refinement regarding pacing, staging, and visual presentation, the core idea remains a great novelty. With some adjustments and a more spacious layout, this new cast has the potential to shape this clever concept into something special for its upcoming UK dates.
Review: Sunita Jaswal Photo: Lily Craig