Lost In Translation is essentially summed up entirely by its name.
The premise is that existing film scripts are put into unreliable online translators multiple times to make them incomprehensible, turned into a script for actors to read live onstage. The only catch is that three of the actors are guest stars who have never seen the script before.
Each night, a different iconic film is given this treatment, and in this case the victim was the 2008 cult classic Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer’s infamous novel and characterised by its eerie and angsty soundtrack. The concept of the vampire romance is nonsensical and ludicrous even before it’s translated. I’ve only watched Twilight a handful of times, but I definitely still found this adaptation funny and delightfully absurd, as I’m sure even people who are completely unfamiliar with the source material will. That being said, I would definitely do your homework beforehand if you want the best experience.
The main characteristics of the show include awkward setups, absurdly incoherent storylines, and literal gibberish. The show begins with the narrator asking the audience to make bizarre sounds such as pigeon calls, car screeches, and smoke signals. The audience is then encouraged to repeat these throughout the show when they occur in the script.
Self-aware, and meta jokes include lines such as “this is all based on a really bad book”, a dig at the mixed reactions towards the Twilight novel. Iconic lines from the film are manipulated by the translator, turning Edward (translated as Nedward) into a marine animal, as he states “this is the skin of a killer whale”.
The show relies on its simple and absurd humour rather than witty or complex jokes, however I think that’s what makes it even more brilliant as the niche concept is balanced out with accessible comedy. Ultimately, I think the success of Lost In Translation is due to the variability of each show, allowing each performance to be totally different and perfectly catered to each audience.
The full list of nightly renditions can be found via this link.
Lost In Translation is running until August 30 at The Auditorium at Gilded Balloon at the Museum. Buy tickets here.
Image by Nathaniel Schilling, provided to The Student for press use
