Tag Archives: Pleasance Courtyard

THE SEX LIVES OF PUPPETS

★★★★

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

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THE SEX LIVES OF PUPPETS at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

★★★★

“it really is quite an eye-opener to see how many naughty positions the puppets can get themselves into”

I remember working on a puppet show a few years ago and one of the first things the puppetry director said to us was ‘don’t make the puppets do sex acts, ever’. She’d clearly never seen (or wasn’t a fan of) Avenue Q, and I imagine would be walking out of this show in protest. Clearly, Blind Summit are working with a different team and principles altogether, as this puppet show is pretty much just sex (although actually mostly just puppets talking about sex, until the big puppet orgy in the last scene, where it really hits its climax!).

Directed by Ben Keaton and Mark Down, and performed by four brilliant puppeteers (Lucy Lichfield, Isobel Griffiths, Briony O’Callaghan and Dale Wylde), the show takes the format of a series of interviews-to-camera, set up in a photoshoot studio with a white backdrop, each interview consisting of one or two puppet characters, sometimes responding to a question or other times just talking about their relationships. We meet a varied range of people, from the very posh and proper Dmitri and his wife to Katie and Helen, a lesbian couple telling about their experience of a ‘cum blob’.

Each of the performers are incredibly versatile, taking on different accent and voices and finding the very detailed movement and quality of each of the characters. Harry and Frankie are an older couple from New York, Frankie looking a bit like Edna Mode, with dark shiny black hair which she flirtatiously strokes her finger through when things are getting flirty. It’s this sort of detail which really shows off the skill of these performers, and of their directors.

Of course, the success of this show is also very much down to the design brilliance of Russell Dean, who puts so much care and attention to detail into each of the puppets. From Harry’s long tie which hangs below his waistband to Cockney-geezer Clive’s leather jacket, there’s no item, colour or material out of place. Each puppet moves freely with every slight breath or gesture from the puppeteers, allowing the audience to really forget that the puppets aren’t actually alive at all.

Whilst most of the show plays for comedy, there are also some really touching moments, as characters reveal intimate details about themselves, their loneliness or desires. There are also a couple of scenes which have more serious tones. These sometimes feel a little out of place in the rest of the show, but it’s nice to see the versatility of emotion that the puppets are capable off.

The final scene is a hilariously choreographed puppet orgy, and it really is quite an eye-opener to see how many naughty positions the puppets can get themselves into. If you’re looking for some outrageous puppet comedy, with a little bit of heart along the way, then this will be the perfect show for you.


THE SEX LIVES OF PUPPETS at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Pleasance Courtyard – Beyond

Reviewed on 12th August 2024

by Joseph Dunitz

Photography by Mark Down

 

 


THE SEX LIVES OF PUPPETS

THE SEX LIVES OF PUPPETS

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The Burning

★★★

Pleasance Courtyard

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The Burning

The Burning

Pleasance Courtyard

Reviewed – 14th August 2019

★★★

 

“had such potential but the jumping narrative resulted in an unclear message”

 

This all-female cast took us on a journey, jumping through huge swaths of history to examine the allegations of witchcraft against women. But maybe they bit off more than they could chew by switching between the historical testimonies of the victims and the story of a modern woman, dealing with the death of her mother.

Incognito Theatre Company’s production has been highly anticipated since the success of their last production ‘Tobacco Road’. However, ‘The Burning’ didn’t quite hit the mark that I expected. The ideas shown are intriguing and offer interesting new insights into a topic that can often be summarised by showing voiceless victims of extreme injustice. ‘The Burning’ also presents a novel slant on the printing press as a platform for men to create and implement legislation against women.

The ensemble (Keturah Chambers, Jennie Eggleton, Kimberley Hallam, Phoebe Parker) were skilled in their portrayal of various roles. They used quick costume changes to switch between characters. This was accompanied by slightly questionable accents, that were distracting. It would have been more effective for them to play to their strengths by marking different people by changing their physicality. The movement direction (Ingrid McKinnon and Roberta Zuric) used within the piece was strong and is something that could definitely be utilised more. The strongest moments were when the actors repeated ritualised moves, reminiscent of conjuring.

A key feature of this production was the use of live and recorded sound. Vocal looping of eerie sound effects created a thick and tense atmospheric. This was complemented by design elements (Helena Bonner) such as the repeated use of dry ice and red and blue wash lights. The set was fairly simple as the actors used three wooden blocks to create change within the scenes. In general, the handling of props was well rehearsed and slick.

Where the production fell flat was its structure. The piece went between two main story strands: that of the legacy of different witch trials and that of a modern day woman discovering these stories. The link between the two narratives became entangled in a way that felt forced and disjointed. This let the show down, as the actors were committed and clearly highly competent. This piece had such potential but the jumping narrative resulted in an unclear message. The cast forcefully delivered a final call to action at the end but, as audience members, we were left unsure as to what we were being asked to rally for or against.

 

Reviewed by Emily Morris

Photography by Marko Marsenic

 


The Burning

Pleasance Courtyard until 26th August as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019

 

 

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