As soon as we walk in, the game begins. The Lost Theatre Co. cast members mill about the theatre and greet us, wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with their (real) first names - Joshua, Lilian, Jacob, Kaia, Noah and Lisa. We each receive a lanyard with a red/green card and a ‘menu’ of thirty short play titles to choose from. The house lights stay up as they get our attention and begin. We have a role, a responsibility and an immediate sense of comradery.
Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind is a proudly absurd meta theatre game. The aim is to perform all thirty plays on the menu within an hour – once the hour is up, that’s all we get; they’ll stop mid-scene if they must. Audience members call out a number to indicate what play we want to see, it’s performed, then it’s on to the next one. It’s the epitome of controlled chaos.
The ensemble’s confidence, chemistry and enthusiasm absolutely carry the show. Even though all the shows are obviously scripted, there’s a constant feeling of spontaneity, like we’ve walked in on actors messing around while on break. This makes it easy to forgive some weaker performances during the micro-plays themselves, though it would’ve been nice to see more range in the genres and characters within the shows. Still, with thirty distinct plays, it’s almost guaranteed nobody will click with everything, and there were definitely more hits than misses.
It’s difficult to comment on the show’s writing. The plays move so fast and there’s so many of them that to single out anything feels like either nitpicking or a matter of personal taste. Plus, the tone is so silly that deeper analysis of themes almost feels like missing the point. Even so, the whole premise raises interesting questions about what ‘counts’ as theatre and how much or little time you need to tell a story. These ideas are highlighted in how the actors use the set. The lack of costumes, the simple props and set pieces strewn around seemingly at random and the constant timer on the wall counting down the hour deliberately make it difficult to fully focus on the plays. This could be a drawback for some, but I like that Jay Watts’ direction kept us focused on the gamification of it all, constantly drawing attention to how we as an audience had a huge part to play in the fun.
Consent and safety were clearly priorities for the troupe, and it was impressive how seamlessly they incorporated these essentials into the show. The lanyards we were given let us show either a green or red card to indicate if we wanted to be interacted with, and we were assured we could flip the card at any time, even while the actors were speaking to us. This did happen once or twice, and they kept their word, stopping immediately and moving on to somebody else. There were content warnings on the menu, but on the other side from the titles so we could be surprised if we wanted to. The instructions they gave to participants were snappy and clear, and they rolled equally well with awkwardness and enthusiasm from the audience. Overall, it’s probably the best handling of audience interaction that I’ve ever seen; whether your card’s green or red, it’s so fun to watch and play along.
Although we didn’t win the game (we got close but had to stop in the middle of the thirtieth play), there wasn’t any sense of disappointment or missing out. If anything, the lack of closure felt appropriate. If you enjoy the fresh frenetic energy of improv, theatre about theatre and/or being involved in the unfolding action, this is definitely the show for you. And if anything about the audience participation seems daunting, don’t worry. You’re in good hands and no matter which plays you do or don’t see, you’re in for a great time.
To book tickets to 30 Neo-Futurist Plays From Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind (30 Plays In 60 Minutes), please visit https://www.losttheatreco.com/.
