Don’t Get Carried Away theatre review: Chasing the stage
Roy Barker’s warm solo show celebrates the joy of returning to long-held dreams
Don’t Get Carried Away details the sometimes funny and always heart-warming story of Roy Barker chasing a career in acting. Punctuated by all the times he resisted those imploring him to not get ‘carried away’, Barker is brim-full with the love of performance so many lose in a journey to the main stage.
The heart of the show really comes in Barker’s admittance that, like so many, at one time he chose to prioritise stability over acting. Yet, revisiting his desires took him from roles in a Shakespeare tour across China to working in a Globe Theatre pop-up in Sydney. In Barker’s story, we can’t help but wonder if our dreams could take us that far, too.
His storytelling is simultaneously hilarious and witty, enveloping his audience in his every emotion as if it’s their own. From start to finish, you’re steeped in the realisation that, as adults, we’re allowed to revisit our ambitions with a tangibility that rivals even the glossy, idolised imaginations of childhood. Chasing a dream is so often presented as a cautionary tale, but Barker cultivates a joyful, laughter-filled space that reminds you anything is not only possible, but wonderfully achievable.
Don’t Get Carried Away continues at Star Theatre Two at Star Theatres until March 22.