This year marks the tenth anniversary of Chris Haughton’s bestselling picture book, Oh No, George! We first came across the book in 2020 thanks to Can’t Sit Still Productions, who had been touring their adaptation of the show when Covid struck. With the tour cut short, they embarked on an online tour using a recording of the production. (Read our review here). Two years later, Oh No, George! has been back out on the road, delighting families across the country. But there is somewhere else you can find the mischievous canine, George and his human, Harris now too – Building on the success of Play Along Plink and Boo (the first digital show to convince us that the magic of live theatre could be recreated by a recording) Can’t Sit Still have released a new online experience based on Oh No, George! Regular readers will know how much Quaver loves a “choose your own adventure” style experience so we had been looking forward to this one, and we weren’t disappointed!
What Will George Do? is a specially filmed version of the original stage show, featuring the voice of Chris Haughton, which gives the audience control over George’s choices. Will he dig up Harris’ flowers? Will he chase cat? Will he eat the cake? It’s up to you. Divided into five short episodes, it can be played in a single sitting or you can take breaks. (We did it all in one go, with Quaver eager to go back and try out all the different choices too!) Most “choose your own adventure” style experiences feel more like a game or an interactive film/cartoon but this one is very much a piece of theatre which has been enhanced by the inclusion of interactive elements.
Just like the stage show, it features acrobatics and clowning, which will have youngsters (and their grown ups!) shrieking with laughter. It’s extremely engaging and highly accessible, with integrated sign language and fantastic animated captions. Even without the option to click buttons and make choices it is still a brilliant piece of digital theatre, but the interactive element makes it even more fun as you try to steer George towards the right course of action (or mayhem, if you’re that way inclined). Quaver also really loved the music and was enthusiastically air drumming along. The short segments make it ideal for those with limited attention spans while the ability to go back and make different choices means there is also scope to watch it over and over without getting bored.
It’s fantastic to see Can’t Sit Still Productions continuing to produce such fantastic digital work two years on from their enforced foray into online theatre. We loved the original filmed version of Oh No, George! but What Will George Do? is a real evolution of the show which highlights how there is still very much a place for online theatre to co-exist with live, in-person productions. We’re sure that it will absolutely delight audiences, whether they have read the book, seen the stage show or are meeting George and Harris for the very first time. A brilliant way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Oh No, George! and another great big thumbs up for Can’t Sit Still Productions from us!
Watch What Will George Do? for free at https://www.cantsitstill.net/what-will-george-do.html