The Great Grandiosa | Act React
If you have ever wanted to know what the winning lottery number is going to be, or what riches are coming in your future, then you might not find that at The Great Grandiosa. What you are guaranteed though is a fun night of hilarious comedy and a peek into what might’ve happened in our past lives as you are swept away by The Great Grandiosa’s psychic charm, tarot card readings and a deep delve into horoscopes.
It’s comedy and improv, a parody of the more pompous personalities in the medium field that you might’ve come across when channel surfing late night TV back in the day. Natalie Bochenski brings the character to life in an original and brilliant way. Her devotion to being The Great Grandiosa and harnessing the absurdity of celebrity and TV psychics was a treat to watch, having it down to a tee from the moment she enters the room and steps onto the stage, bringing forth the wackiness that inspired the character and then amplifying it.
Before we are introduced to The Great Grandiosa, we first meet her three acolytes. They dazzled us with their card tricks. Each one stood out and are a key element of the show and something I enjoyed quite a bit. They had many in the crowd howling with laughter at their different improv scenes throughout the night, showcasing their chemistry not only between themselves, but with Natalie too.
The improv aspect and audience interaction give a variance to the show each time it is performed. Cosmetically each night might look the same, but there’s an almost certainty with another crowd there will be different outcomes, making it a show worth attending more than once.
The interactions with different people in the audience would be the basis of the improvisation parts and provided some of the best moments of the show. In one instance we learned about trypophobia and watched it explored through different centuries. Seeing The Great Grandiosa and some of her one-on-one interactions with people in the crowd was a fun touch and added a sense of unpredictability.
My favourite kind of comedy is campy fun. Something that’s not afraid to make fun of itself and embrace the silliness. The kind where you can switch off and not have to over-think too much. That’s what we got with The Great Grandiosa. There were times throughout where it reminded me of a great Saturday Night Live skit. This might not be for everyone, but if you’re looking for a laugh out loud performance and something that’s more over the top, though still with hints of subtlety, then it’s good to go along to and see them take the mickey out of the people it’s parodying.
As with comedic performances it’s going to be subjective if you find it amusing or not. There were hits and misses, but more hits that brought big laughs. The Great Grandiosa is a great character on her own, but along with her three acolytes they were able to create a magical and humorous time that in my opinion was a success.
