Book, Music & Lyrics by Sam Cochrane & Alex Prescot

Directed by Sam Cochrane & Alex Prescot

Musical Direction by Amy Hsu

Everyone’s a critic.

Maybe you think the characters on stage shouldn’t be splitting up. Perhaps you’d rather they didn’t backtrack to an earlier moment. And you’re damn right that this moment calls for an ensemble number as opposed to a solo ballad. Well, now is your opportunity to not only craft your own tale but to do so with a fantastical flair for adventure: Gigglemug’s choose-your-own musical escapade continues a once-growing trend of digital theatre but advances the audience’s agency in having a say within the narrative more than most.

In the glory days of early internet game platforms, from Newgrounds to Miniclips, one game stood proud against the rest: Runescape. One of the most successful MMORPGs of the day, still going strong, the massively multiplayer game has brought millions into an online fantasy setting since 2001. But we must start our journeys somewhere – and with Gigglemug’s new Runesical, all audiences begin at the same level scene – introduced to fresh beginner Lance_054 as they embark on their journey, performed with bright-eyed enthusiasm and gusto by Christian Maynard.

Though Sam Cochrane and Alex Prescot’s new musical romp certainly takes tremendous inspiration from the game, and the fantasy genre in general (offering plenty of in-jokes and references for the frequent dragon-slayers in the crowd), Runesical’s chaotic nature with strong and memorable lyrics encourage even the least-keen of adventurers into a new world of enjoyment. From simple choices about which takeaway to have, to more narrative-centric choices of sticking together or venturing off alone, each concluding scene allows audiences to choose one of two paths to follow, almost all including either a delightful comedic routine or original song – often accompanied by live guitar and keyboard to flesh out the production through Tom Slade’s original composition.

The pair’s direction of choices can often come over as a touch random, which is to be expected with the unreliable element of allowing audiences to pick their path – occasionally, though more frequently than expected, choices do begin to push back into an orchestrated path. But the overarching story, one brimming with creativity and excellently carried humour from cast members such as Jenna Sian O’Hara, or Cochrane’s dab-hand at physical comedy, is deserving of multiple undertakings from audiences to see each of the unique scenes.

A fantastical tale of multi-path adventures with strange and colourfully carried characters, Runesical not only captures the digital playground its namesake once ruled but channels a more touching push into the world outside of the screen. As hearty as a pint of grog in a rundown tavern, and as ambitious as a chalice quest from the Drows, Gigglemug turns the farce of drunken gnomes and monsters into a genuinely well-constructed and much-loved interactive theatrical experience for proficient voyagers and newcomers alike.