For me, Jurassic Park is one of the best films ever released.
When I first saw Jurassic Park as a kid, it left a lasting impression. It scared the shit out of me, particularly the poor lawyer getting chomped off the toilet by a T-Rex! When I rewatched it in my teens, I fell in love. It’s an awesome story with incredible cutting edge CGI and practical effects that still hold up to this day.
If you’re not aware of Jurassic Park and its story, then where the hell have you been for the last 30 years?!? Jurassic Park is a sci-fi film about a company who uses dinosaur DNA to create living, breathing, meat eating dinosaurs! And what do you do with these ferocious lizard gods? Put them in a park for people to gawk at, and of course, all hell breaks loose when a tropical storm pummels the island and the dinosaurs are let loose!
It’s no doubt Jurassic Park’s success had a huge impact on culture and became an instant classic full of great one liners. The team at Braw Media are obviously huge fans of Jurassic Park too and have put a new and fun spin on the film for this year’s Adelaide Fringe. I knew I had to get along to see a comedic tribute to one of the best films ever.
The premise is simple, take a slightly slimmed down screenplay of the film and run it through several online translators until you’ve got an eccentric script that’s then given to a handful of actors. These actors then act it out on stage for the first time, creating a truly unique experience with every show. What could possibly go wrong?
Aaron Finan brilliantly narrates the show, guiding us through the story and painting a picture of what is happening within the scenes while the six actors take on multiple roles throughout the show, with slight costume changes for some. Sophie Addison was amazing as John Hammond, delivering some hilarious lines with such serious candour which just made things even more funny. Plus, the Scottish accent put a fun twist on things and just suited the show so well!
Lochryn Hearne’s portrayal of Dr Allan Grant was also fantastic with his quick wit, great comedic timing, and was one of the few that actually acted out what he was doing in the scenes which was a great addition.
Don’t get me wrong, the whole cast were fantastic and gelled together so well. They all had such great chemistry and were having a blast up on stage, filling the venue room with fun and positive energy. But I need to give a nod to Emma Evans for her parts as Tim, and Kendra Cowan as Dr Malcolm, these two had me in stitches.
Really, the success of the show comes down to the results of all the translations the script had been through, and it did not disappoint. So many of the famous quotes from the film have become great funny one liners, such as “Life finds a way” becoming “Life is a highway”, and dinosaurs somehow becoming referred to as “old people” or a specific species labelled “Cyclists”, resulting in the character of Muldoon exclaiming, “ALL CYCLISTS SHOULD BE SHOT”. It was perfect!
The Braw Media crew also tackle other cinematic favourites such as Lord of the Rings, Titanic, and Harry Potter, so there is something for everyone. And if you are a fan of any of these films, make sure you get along to a show as it’s well worth it!
I thoroughly enjoyed the Lost in Translation: Jurassic Park show and I honestly can’t wait to check out more at this year’s Fringe Festival, particularly The Pirates of the Caribbean one which I can only imagine will be hilariously amazing!
The wild thing is, I think this show will have an everlasting effect on how I watch the films from now on! Every time I see the T-Rex romp into the frame, I’m going to be reminded of a 25-foot-tall teapot measuring 40 feet from nose to tail, or all the fact Tim took on the teapot with a ‘flesh light’! Things got really interesting, and I may be changed for life, but it was 100% worth it!
Braw Media’s Lost In Translation is playing now Upstairs at Rhino Room for a limited run at Adelaide Fringe and every show is different! So get your tickets quick!
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://lostintranslation.com.au
https://brawmedia.com
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/lost-in-translation-af2023
Photography by Nathan Stavridis.