Forget watching Blade Runner or Ready Player One on your TV and come see the real thing at Fool’s Paradise with Nightrunner. This ambitious show has futuristic neo-pop-punk vibes and blends them with a mix of aerials, live singing and some truly astonishing laser light acts to deliver an entertaining array of performances. Put on your AI goggles, let your imagination run wild and strap yourself in!

The audience in The Vault is welcomed into the Nightrunner world via a voiceover game simulator announcer. We’re about to explore our deepest, darkest desires and live through the performers and their faux VR goggles. The stage is where we see what they see, a cascading LED light display that makes you feel as if you’re in this futurescape. Over sixty minutes we are taken on a trapeze ride with Jess, a couch surfing hand-balancing display from Mathew, and a heartfelt rope act from Rindi. And, although it was Jess who truly shone in Nightrunner (her aerial skills, singing voice and ballerina-style pointe work on full display), it was the laser light show that brought the audience to life. I’d only ever seen an act like this on TikTok but watching it in real life was remarkable to see. Lasers come from the sky and look like they are captured in the performer's hands and used as weapons. Laser staffs being spun around and then turned into musical instruments, I can’t remember seeing anything like this at the Adelaide Fringe before!

With the laser light act being the absolute highlight, some of the other performances didn’t feel as if they hit their marks quite as well. The constant use of recorded voiceovers and not much character work (except for Jess), left the audience feeling rather disconnected from the show. Still, if you want to see some acts that you’ve never seen before in Adelaide, Nightrunner is the show to find them in.

**** FOUR STARS

Nightrunner is playing now at Adelaide Fringe 2025

Reviewed by Shane Berketa