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Werewolf: Live

Edinburgh Review: Werewolf: Live

August 16, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

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The popular live game show, Werewolf: Live, has recently undergone a dramatic transformation. Contestants this year are the Fringe’s own comics, rather than members of the audience (as had been the case in previous years).

It’s a truly refreshing palate cleanser from all of the straight stand-up, but audience members are still treated to their comedy fix. This evening in particular there are seven comics taking to the stage: John-Luke Roberts, Nathan Roberts, Andy Field, Cam Spence, Eshaan Akbar, Stevie Martin and Adam Rowe.

Front man Jon Gracey revs up the suspense of the game, whilst also reminding us just how ridiculous the whole concept is. Amongst this group of seemingly innocent villagers lie two hungry werewolves, who will be picking off the villagers one by one until they are found out, or until there are no longer enough villagers left to stop them.

This is a game where emotions run high. Stevie’s extreme exasperation at being called out despite not being a wolf, and Eshaan’s disappointment about being a villager for the sixth time are particular highlights. That’s not forgetting John-Luke’s interesting tactic of randomly calling out someone from the start, and then sitting quietly and stroking his moustache for the rest of the round.

A huge bonus is that the comics really know what they are doing. They know the concept so well that they are able to develop tactics and use their previous experiences to inform their play. They’ve also built such a strong rapport that their interactions begin to shed light on their relationships off stage, adding an interesting social element to the play.

With three games per show, the audience are able to really immerse themselves in this sinister fantasy world. The only problem is, an hour simply doesn’t feel like enough. Catch Werewolf at Underbelly, Bristo Square at 9.05pm throughout August.

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Live Comedy, Reviews Tagged: Adam Rowe, Andy Field, Cam Spence, Eshaan Akbar, John-Luke Roberts, Jon Gracey, Nathan Roberts, Stevie Martin, Werewolf, Werewolf: Live

Jon Gracey: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

July 16, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© Katherine Rodden
Who? Jon Gracey
What? Werewolf: Live
Where? Underbelly, Bristo Square – Jersey (Venue 302)
When? 21:05

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Much better than last year! Turns out doing a high energy audience interaction show (last year’s version of Werewolf: Live) and taking your first play (Courtroom Play: A Courtroom Play) is A LOT. This year we’re being much more sensible (just the one show) so I’m feeling far more prepared. It’s like I’ve done a bunch of training already, though metaphorically. I have not been training physically.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

It’s Werewolf: Live, Becca, but not as we know it. Last year the game was all audience players, and was fun but fairly throwaway. Also last year we did a one-off charity show with comedians playing Werewolf, and they. were. incredible. So the show is now a panel show where the audience watch as very good and funny comedians brutally lie to each other and question everything they ever thought they knew. It’s super fun!

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

The whole journey of taking an existing game and making it into a show has been one of slowly sanding down over many, many years. When we started doing it in 2015 in Australia, it was a full-on, 3-hour immersive theatre experience with food and multiple roles and it was a nightmare. Loads of fun, but completely unsustainable. Our development of it has involved carefully removing elements and checking the house of cards doesn’t tumble down, and then pushing out another Jenga block and seeing what happens. If I may mix my gaming metaphors. So the biggest thing has been keeping the solid core of ‘people trying to figure out who’s lying’ while removing as much of the fluff as possible. We’re pretty happy with where we’ve got it!

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

I actually took a big break, not doing the Fringe from 2014-2017, so when we first came back last year after a long absence, things were really different. The whole tone of it felt more… corporate, perhaps? But our goals have changed, we now have really clear reasons to go and clear goals we want to achieve, so it’s less of a wild party, running around getting drunk and seeing shows, and more of a month-long professional engagement. Which may sound a little dry but in reality it means taking care of yourself, really thinking about what you want and making the most of it. It’s also insanely expensive! We can’t afford to tit about; it’s got to be worth it.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

I’ve heard amazing things about Lois by Lucy Farrett, who is a regular on Werewolf: Live, and we’ve met and cemented friendships with so many great comedians doing this show. Ahir Shah is always a delight, Stevie Martin (another of our regulars) is excellent, Nish Kumar is brilliant, Nick Helm will always be a barnstorming presence. I’ll definitely be at all their shows, and excitingly we’ll get to meet a bunch of people there and find out what cool stuff they’re doing!

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Our big goal is to get Werewolf: Live on TV. We’re getting there, but in a year’s time? On that box. Or Netflix. Or however TV works these days.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR JON GRACEY: ‘WEREWOLF: LIVE’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Edinburgh Festival, Jon Gracey, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019, Werewolf: Live

Edinburgh Review: Werewolf Live

August 8, 2018 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

[usr 4]

In Jon Gracey’s Werewolf, audience members are pitted against each other as they play the characters of werewolves and villagers. A fraction of the group of volunteers are given the role of werewolf, which means that they can choose one villager to be killed each night, under the cover of darkness (well, when we all have our eyes closed). The villagers must work out who the werewolves are and have them killed before it’s too late.

With only the werewolves being aware of who is innocent, this is a game of guesses and rash accusations. And watching people turn against their friends at the flick of a switch is always entertaining, especially when the reactions are spontaneous and unfiltered.

© Kate Rodden

Frontman Gracey is unsurprisingly the highlight of this show, and it’s a pity he doesn’t get more time to ad lib. He’s clearly comfortable on stage and his sarcastic comments and piss-taking is the glue that keeps the show from descending into chaos.

Werewolf is a an inventive concept. The rules are complicated enough, and the set up varied enough, so that the audience doesn’t get bored, and yet the game is sufficiently short to allow for three or so games during the show. A larger audience would undoubtedly make Werewolf more entertaining, as there could be an entirely new set of participants each round. This is why the comedian charity special on August 21st looks particularly promising.

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Live Comedy, Reviews Tagged: Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh Reviews, Jon Gracey, Reviews, Werewolf: Live

Jon Gracey: The Edinburgh Interviews 2018

July 12, 2018 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
Who? Jon Gracey
What? Werewolf: Live
Where? Underbelly, Cowgate (venue 61)
When? 22:50

Are you prepared for what this year’s Edinburgh Fringe has in store for you? 

… Kind of?? I’ve been doing the Fringe for many years (with sketch group The Beta Males), but I’ve not been up as a performer since 2013, so while I know the general shape of things, I feel like I’m coming back to a lot of unknowns and practically limitless chances to tit things up. That said, I’m super excited to get back into the mix and experience the heady rush that is being immersed in so much great and cool art for a month. Also burgers.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

Werewolf: Live is a theatrical comedy game show where the audience come up on stage and fight for their lives, trying to figure out who among them are innocent and who are evil werewolves (based on roles they are assigned at random). I tell the story, sass them the appropriate amount and make sure everything is running smoothly. It’s a late-night, raucous, immersive dose of carefully choreographed chaos and it’s gonna be an absolute blast. 

© Kate Rodden

What was the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

I’ve actually been working on this show on and off since late 2014. We were at a conference for freelancers and there were people hailing from all over the world who needed something to do in the evening, so I pulled my shirt over my head, got some candles out and did the embryonic version of what became Werewolf: Live.

It’s actually a very light show to do in terms of props and setup, as most of it comes from me and the players. The hardest thing has been taking it from an intimate environment where everyone was playing to the player/spectator vibe we have now – as a gamer I was convinced everyone would want to be up on stage playing, but so many people have got in touch saying how much they love watching and seeing how people react. So I think the big challenge was having the confidence to move it from small intimate rooms to larger theatres, and trusting that people would dig it. That was really scary and hard. 

Who would most enjoy your show?

God, this is going to sound like such a cop-out, but pretty much everyone. I’ve run werewolf games for my 88-year-old grandparents at Christmas, I’ve done it at business conferences, for companies as part of corporate team building, in theatres, in living rooms, at camp sites, on stag dos, for dinner parties, all over the world from Bali to Barcelona. I think people who like games will naturally lean towards it, but honestly the thrill for me comes from people who don’t game that much realising how simple the rules are (goal: figure out who’s lying) and then using their real-life skills of deduction and getting stuck in to the story and the fun.

So soz, but EVERYONE. Unless you hate werewolves. But then my friend Kit really, really hates werewolves (she blames seeing Michael Jackson’s Thriller video at a young age) and she loves the show. So, everyone. 

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Well I’d be remiss not to plug the charity Werewolf: Live show we’re doing on 21st August, where famous comedians play the game instead of the audience. We’re in the big purple cow, and we’ve got amazing folks like Marcus Brigstocke, Nish Kumar and Alex Edelman (with loads more great names to be announced soon) on board. I can’t wait! All proceeds are going to Kidney Research UK, which is a charity that means a huge amount to me, as my Dad’s had kidney troubles most of his life and does loads of work with them. So that’ll be great! And terrifying. But great!

I’ve also written a play – sorry, this is very self-indulgent – called Courtroom Play: A Courtroom Play. It’s a comedy courtroom drama with an amazing line-up of comedians and actors, including Thom Tuck, Emily Lloyd-Saini, Mandy Dassa and Lucy Farrett and it’s really good! Heartwarming and hilarious, think Legally Blonde meets Hot Fuzz. Plus it’s new writing! Gotta support that new writing.

© Kate Rodden

Now that I’ve finally stopped talking about myself, you should definitely check out shows by former Beta Males Richard Soames and John Henry Falle, as they’re some of the best and funniest nerds I know. Richard Soames: Let’s Make A Movie is an attempt to make an entire Hollywood blockbuster in an hour. No idea how that’s going to work, but he has gorgeous eyes and is great. John Henry Falle as The Story Beast is doing 2 shows: This Is Bardcore and Myths, Monsters & Mayhem.

On a less nepotistic note, the excellent Rob Carter has arguably the best title of any show this year, with I Spy With My Little Eye Something Beginning With Why Have You Been Sleeping With My Wife: A Play By Christopher Bliss. Very excited to see that.

Stevie Martin is doing her debut solo hour (having crushed it with brill sketch group Massive Dad) which is going to be incredible, and Kieran Hodgson always does amazing things, and his show this year, ’75 – which is going to grapple with Europe/Brexit – sounds equal parts brave and wonderful. 

What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh as a city?

The architecture gets me every time, and always instils a sense of calm as I walk around and realise how long everything’s been around, and how comparatively irrelevant literally everything I’m doing is. Also the meadows are wondrous and green and are a joy to walk across, whether you’re marching into town to do battle with the hordes or coming home for a nice cup of tea. 

What are your plans for after the festival?

I’m a big video games boy, and all this Edinburgh prep has frankly really cut into my gaming time. My partner is going back to Sydney, her home town, for a while, and I’ll either go with her, or go really deep into a lovely open world game. Either sounds fabulous, to be honest.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR ‘WEREWOLF: LIVE’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2018

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Edinburgh Festival, Jon Gracey, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2018, Werewolf: Live
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