If you’re yet to see anything from Wright&Grainger at the Adelaide Fringe, take this as a sign and book yourself tickets to Helios.

A one-person show, set in the dome-shaped Yurt at the Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum, this story is told in a way that feels to me like toned-down slam poetry with just a hint of audience participation – but not the kind that makes you nervous to even be in the room. 

If you’re not familiar with Greek mythology – and to be honest, I’m not – you probably won’t know that ‘Helios’ is the God of the Sun. Far from a dry recount of the original tale, this show weaves together the tale of a human boy and his MIA father with that of Helios and his son Phaeton. Of course, there are other characters too, that all feed into the thought-provoking and emotive narrative.

I’ll be honest – the blurb on the Adelaide Fringe website probably wouldn’t have sold the show to me, as it doesn’t really give you a lot to go on. But I’ve previously been to see Orpheus and the Gods, the Gods, the Gods (from the same team), and knew that they create high-quality content.

The production is simple but very effective – there are some fancy lights in the middle of the Yurt, where the performer stands with his microphone, some other lighting around the dome, and a score woven into the story.

Heads up: If you’re a little sensitive to sound or protective of your hearing, like me, I recommend taking a pair of earplugs, preferably with just a small dB reduction, just in case you get sat in from of one of the PA speakers (like I was).

If you’re interested, I use a pair of these Loops, in gold because I’m that guy.

This is my first review ever and in general I’m not a fan of numerical ratings – I actually thoroughly hate when you have to score things (like, ‘How do you feel about blah out of 10?’) so I’m not going to bother with that.

So, should you see this show? My vote is yes. But to be fair, I think if you’re a creative, you should see as much as you want to and can manage, to be both inspired and support other artists.

Note: I did not get gifted a ticket or asked to write this review but I did get in for free thanks to the artist pass I have for being in Yogambling, presented by CJ Productions and Rek Kieron.

*That’s just what google said. I can’t guarantee your reading speed.