Digital theater is a new concept, but “The Grown-Up” takes the radio play to a new level. Full of deep concepts and scary ideals, it has everything an audience craves: intrigue, twists and relatable characters.
The line between history and fiction blends together throughout the story.
Kai is an 8-year-old who dreams of pirate adventures and loves his grandpa’s tall tales. He is swept away in his mind by imagining a tale of the crystal doorknob in his grandpa’s house.
Urged on by his curiosity, Kai tests the doorknob’s power and is transported away.
This play consists of not only the main story of Kai, but also side stories including one about a pirate and another about a corporate assistant.
The tales seem very unrelated but contribute to the main story’s conclusion. Rosa, the distraught and drugged-up assistant who just wanted to win a beauty pageant gets locked in a closet and the pirate is the last survivor of his ship left to wait for his surrogate father on land.
The production has a fair amount LGTBQA+ representation.
With heartwarming relationships and a wedding ceremony to remember, it is not often you see a dynamic like those expressed in “The Grown-Up.”
The real gem of the radio play is the aspect of reality versus imagination.
The main character Kai is going to different worlds, but is he really?
Could it be the imagination of a child bored on a summer’s day?
Or could magic truly exist? The decision is up to the audience and how they perceive the world around them.
The concept of death is a tricky one in “The Grown-Up.” The reality of death and life moving too fast scares us all on some level.
The idea is just as scary for Kai. Moving through his own life too fast, he keeps speeding up his end so he can repeat it all over again, hoping that the other side is just another beginning.
Is there really something after opening the last door to the other side? Kai truly believes so and he rushes through his life to get there, and in the last moments he feels relief.
The only upside is the lack of pain, no more struggle in taking each breath as there is no breath to be taken. As the curtain fades on the character you feel a heavy weight on your own chest.
Will you truly feel the same relief? Are you rushing through your life too fast?
Shows that are thought-provoking and full of twists are why we flock to the theater. “The Grown-Up” proves to be all these things.
It has shown that nothing can ruin the theater, which has been around as long as ancient Greece. Great expectations follow this show’s debut and it is highly recommended to watch.
Even if you are not a fan of the idea of contemplating your mortality, watch it for the interesting takes of time travel and magic.
“The Grown-Up” will continue to stream shows at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.