KARATE MAN: A PLAYABLE VIDEO GAME LIVE ON STAGE HITS THE LONDON COMEDY SCENE

Following its Edinburgh Fringe debut, sell-out shows across Australia and a Best Interactive win at Adelaide Fringe, Karate Man, the show where the audience is in total control with a gaming controller, is coming to the Pleasance.

This comedy takes the interactive elements found in sketch and improv to a whole new level—with audience members taking turns literally controlling Karate Man (co-director Bruno Dubosarsky). By pressing buttons on the controller, they choose what Karate Man does, where he goes, who he meets and what he’ll PUNCH, KICK or EXTRACT HEART from next.

In 198X, Karate Man defeated Ross Roundkick (co-director Jacob Henegan) and restored peace to Karatetown. Now, in 20XX, our hero must face his greatest foe yet: domestic life.

Which chore will he do? What job will he apply for? He saved Karatetown, but can he save… his marriage?

First performed at Sydney Fringe 2023 with a Best in Comedy nomination, Karate Man has expanded to a touring passion project starring Australian comedians Maddie Houlbrook-Walk, Alexander Richmond and Alexandra Smith as the cast of non-player characters improvising in response to the audience’s always-unpredictable commands.

Heroic co-director Bruno Dubosarsky says:

‘It’s nice to have an interactive theatre experience that’s full of joy and light. When an audience member discovers that they can ignore the “objective” and just get laughs by making me jump up-and-down a hundred times, it’s magical. And concerning, according to my watch’s health app.’

Villainous co-director Jacob Henegan adds:

‘It’s such an ambitious idea and there’s no blueprint to follow or funding. But it’s so exciting to invent a new way of making a show. We’re really lucky to have a community of talented friends pitching in to create everything from the sets and costumes to an original soundtrack and custom software – all to bring this vision to life.’