Hello, World

Reviewed by Brian Sonia-Wallace
The Complex
Through June 25

Hello, World is a worthwhile and lofty pursuit – the merger of Virtual Reality (VR), technology and theatre. Unfortunately, the cool factor that is the production’s appeal is also its Achilles’ heel. Fringe is all about experimental theatre and this definitely fit that bill, but the VR components slowed everything down to the point of frustration, though technical difficulties seem to have been included in 60 minute run time.

The main issue I had with the VR components is that they didn’t have a clear relation to what was happening onstage. The VR struck me as 20’s style impressionist film, while the stage show was physical theatre and shadow play —both cool in their own right, but in the end, their combination detracted from the total experience rather than enhancing it.

The most interesting moments came when my headset was out of synch and I had a choice between watching action on the headset and action on the stage — here I felt real agency and was interested in finding patterns and mirroring between the action. I’d encourage Rook Theatre Company to push even further in this direction, but any production that touts its use of new technology must prove how that technology is essential to and enhances the piece.

Complex Theatres (Shepard Studio Theater ) 6472 Santa Monica Blvd; https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3823. Running time: 60 minutes.