If I had to summarise Anything You Can Do by Pony Cam in one sentence… I’m not sure I can.
It’s unlike anything I’ve watched before.
To give you a brief overview, Anything You Can Do is comprised of two elements. There are Q & A sessions where cast members take turns answering random questions from a cue card. Nothing’s off limits from the inane, the thoughtful to the downright salacious (hence the 15+ rating). These sessions are broken up by sketches which serve as comedic vignettes of life.
It’s utter chaos, in a good way.
No two shows are ever the same thanks to this improv/theatre blend. You might swing from the silliest of skits to heartbreaking confessions. I laughed heartily at the insanity of the fight breaking out in front of me. Yet minutes earlier, my I nearly cried from listening to what a cast member still blames himself for.
One thing I wasn’t a fan of was when cast members were interrupted mid-answer. I was often already invested in hearing their story when they got cut short. But I guess it’s reflective of life isn’t it? You don’t always get closure before you get whisked off on another experience.
What amazed me most is that this collaborative piece between the young collective and mature local community members worked well together. If you had not told me that they had only met for the first time ten days before the performance, I would have assumed that they were all regular cast players.
While I initially thought that having a dichotomy between young and old might prove divisive, Anything You Can Do is the exact opposite. It demonstrates that age is just a number. The old still know how to play and the young can hide immense life experience too.
It was a timely reminder – perhaps if we took a minute to sit down and actually listen, we’ll be pleasantly surprised by what we’ll learn.
Anything You Can Do has finished its run at Joondalup Festival but do keep an eye out on Pony Cam’s socials to see where they will pop up next!