Review: BATSU! Presents GANBA!! (Edinburgh Fringe)
- Immersive Rumours
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
This interactive family-friendly show from the creators of BATSU! invites would-be warriors into the dojo for some light-hearted games and challenges.
Photo: DLW Photography
The creative team behind late-night comedy game show BATSU! has a good few Fringes under their belt now. With comedians battling it out nightly to avoid punishments ranging from paintball guns to electric shocks, there are a lot of words you could use to describe the show (outrageous, chaotic and hilarious for starters..), but family-friendly isn’t one of them.
Thankfully, their latest interactive show, GANBA!!, which debuts at Edinburgh Fringe this year, remedies that and reworks many of the elements that made BATSU! such a success into an hour-long show for both grown-ups and their little ones.
The show’s story revolves around the ninjas and ninjas-in-training of the Batsu Dojo, as they prepare to defend themselves against the evil Batsu no Akumav (Spirit of Punishment). Through a number of interactive challenges, the show's younger audience members (and occasionally, their grown-ups too) take on a series of light-hearted, comedic tasks that promise to test would-be warriors' focus, agility, teamwork and courage and teach them the meaning of 'ganba' (which roughly translates to 'You've got this!' or 'Go for it!').
Photo: DLW Photography
Sensei Marika (Mariko Iwasa) leads proceedings, acting as the show's de facto host, alongside a duo of acrobatic ninjas - Shinobi Yurika (Yurika Ono) and Shinobi Rina (Rina Maejima). Rounding off the four-strong cast is zealous American ninja-in-training Deshi Steve (Steve Zegers).
All four do a solid job of injecting slapstick humour and energy into the show, but for us at least, it felt like the Shinobi's individual moments in the spotlight were largely there as filler to bulk out the show's runtime.
While, of course, GANBA!! does away with the punishments being dished out in its adults-only sister show, those on stage may still be subject to something similar, albeit with a light touch. Audience members selected to play a game in which they hold inflatable katanas and freeze on the spot when the music stops will find themselves being blasted with bubbles and on the receiving end of a water gun in an attempt to throw them off.
There's a wonderfully positive and encouraging feeling present in every moment of GANBA!!, which will no doubt resonate with children and adults alike, and plenty of opportunities for younger audience members to get involved, but as it stands, the show's uneven pacing holds it back from matching the giddy highs of its adults-only counterpart.
★★★
BATSU! Presents: GANBA!! runs at Friesian at Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302) until 16th August at 11:05. For more information and to book tickets, visit edfringe.com
