It is beyond stereotypical these days to laud an actor for a physical transformation. I’ve been around the block — I’ve seen your Pygmalions, your Richard IIIs, your Cats. It’s all old hat to me.
And yet, when I was confronted by the Video Game Theatre Players’ performance of Sonic Adventure 2, I still found myself transfixed by the transformation of actors Simone de Rochefort and Patrick Gill into hedgehogs.
Considering their brutal schedules, it’s a wonder either performer had a chance to observe hedgehogs as they exist in nature. But according to director Clayton Ashley, a hedgehog habitat was built backstage at the Video Game Playhouse, replacing the women’s restroom.
“Simone was upset that she couldn’t urinate for hours and hours when we were rehearsing,” Mr. Ashley told me. “But in the end, the anger made her a better Shadow.”
That anger is evident in her performance of this scene, when Shadow and Sonic meet for the first time. Every feeling is here: greed, betrayal, amusement and fastness.
The Video Game Theatre Players have done it again! Please watch more episodes on our YouTube channel.
