Forgotten Tributary - 9 out of 10
Curious Roach Collective
TICKETS: Forgotten Tributary | Adelaide Fringe
Upon entering the Yurt in the Migration Museum, you forget you're in the city. You're immediately transported into a tiny haven, an audience space of no more than a couple dozen, cosy and almost magical. It was the perfect setting for this show, just as intimate and fantastical.
This one-man show follows Otto, a boy who finds himself in a mysterious, unknown, sinister land in an unidentifiable time. He seems to be rowing down the river Thames, but the surrounding landscape and even the era constantly shifts. He meets a variety of characters who each impart their own wisdoms and messages, the most important one (in my humble opinion) being an orange cat named Charlie.
Throughout the entire show Otto is running from a being known only as the Nameless One. Keen viewers will very quickly understand that the Nameless One is a metaphor, though what he's a metaphor for isn't clear until the very end. I won't spoil it for anyone, but there's a very good chance you will know the Nameless One personally. I know I do.
A surprising standout, the use of props was unique and inspired. A half empty water bottle sloshed rhythmically to indicate rowing down the river. Charlie the cat was played by an orange handball with a cat's face drawn on it with a marker; the way he bounces and rolls around on Otto's body and the floor is surprisingly cat-like. You know, for a ball. A blue bath towel served both as a raging storm and a jacket pulled tight around his face protecting him from said storm. And a single tape player hung menacingly from the ceiling behind Otto, serving as a constant reminder of what he was running from but couldn't seem to escape. The audience even had props of their own! A hat folded out of newspaper, a stuffed toy elephant, Punch and Judy-esque puppets and even a humble sweet potato are just some of the objects you might hold in your own hands during the show. The sound and lighting were also crucial to the success of this show. Many sound effects and lighting effects, perfectly timed, further immersed audience members in the story. The Nameless One's voice and the static crackling signalling his presence are bone-chilling and hair-raising.
There is an element of audience participation to this production - however, it was something different I had never seen before. You don't have to stand up or improvise or make a fool of yourself. Upon entering the venue, there is an envelope on each seat with ‘DO NOT OPEN’ written on it. You will, of course, be instructed to open it towards the end of the show. If you are given a prop, like the ones I mentioned earlier, at some point in the show you are given a card with some lines to read. That's all. It's certainly an interesting and novel concept, and it helps audiences further engage with the story.
This one-man show is theatre of the mind at its finest. Otto is an incredible character and storyteller, and you will be taken along on a fantastical, vivid dream from beginning to end. As this is the final week of Fringe for 2026, shows are limited. I highly encourage people to see this show while they can.
- Carolina Fioravanti
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