It’s hard to make something so dream-like and yet so grounded in the community, but U R Back looks to the stars and very much reaches them.

The show is unique to the point where you’re not sure if you ever want to leave. Mysterious stamp marks are introduced that change your entire path. As well as interesting characters, like the tentacled Swells and the Silver Oracle, U R Back holds an experimental yet perfect atmosphere that makes for a wonderful group-focused experience.  

It’s easy to drift off into this whimsical dreamscape. The experience achieves the success of its predecessor, U R Here, perfectly.

I would very much insist that U R keeping an eye out for it now, and for many years to come.

[Gabe is 11]

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

Another delightful Barbarian Productions experience (“[we] make theatre, but not as you know it”) is on offer this weekend with U R BACK at Martin Luckie Park. A sequel to last year’s U R HERE, it is balmy, not to mention quite barmy in places, family-friendly and for adults too, alone, in pairs or in groups. A sense of togetherness will soon imbue those who are open to it. Allow a couple of hours to get the most out of the many diversions on offer.

‘On-boarding’ at a caravan outside the building that overlooks the park gifts us each a disc on a lanyard in which we create our player names and may record various elements of the experience as we proceed. Apparently one can also download a Pick-a-Path app but we are happy to discover and choose where to go and in what order by using our temporal senses.

At the portal, our choice of an invisible-ink stamp endows us with one of four possible roles, yet to be revealed. Indoors, we are welcomed by Swelliam into The Swell, an immersive installation which offers us the opportunity to transition from our everyday worlds into one that at first seems fantastical but may, for some, feel like a parallel universe we’ve always been part of. The Nail Polish Room with its ghost merchandise and aroma that’s more spiritous than spiritual, strikes me as a reminder of the world we’re leaving behind – although I do quite like my sparkly gold pinkie nail.

By now we have discovered I am a Mystic and my partner is a Champion. We encounter a Trouble-Maker in a matrix down the track and the fourth role remains a mystery to us. The park below the building offers a range of whimsical activities that we can choose to engage with or not; nothing is forced on us, it’s all just there to discover and maybe share with others. Wondrously costumed creatures are on hand, however, to indicate where further delights may found …

Down a track there are enormous lumpy but light objects – I’ll call them Wobbleflobbers – atop a flagged slope upon which weird creatures lurk to either impede or help and/or celebrate one’s attempt to rise to the challenge involved. Perhaps we should have stayed there longer to work out exactly what that opportunity is.

A wooded glade sheltering percussionists and instruments offers us the chance to have some real skin in the game. This is The Rhythm Matrix. And the beat goes on … Well away from that, Barbarian’s signature Egg nestles in a dell ready to hear, record and share our thoughts and ideas on the topic-du-jour – e.g. What sets you free?  

Outside the Scout Hall we get to play The Eternal Game presided over by clowned officials who successfully satirise the crazy competitiveness that control so much of our lives. Triangles and squares play pivotal roles. The back of our disc holds a vacant space headed ‘What is Winning’? Perhaps that’s a question you would like to ask The Orace, perched on a hillside, ready to expel answers from their tail.

For some there will be extra fun in recognising the wealth of local talent embodying the may beings we encounter en route. There is a lot of up and down, as befits this experiential echo of our journeys through life. Appropriate footwear, a receptive mind and a questing soul will see you on your way, be good for your health – and may even set you free.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer