Puppet Fest begins with a bang!
- Rosie Roche
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Fresh from a world tour, Norwegian/NYC fusion theater Wakka Wakka brings Dead as a Dodo, their story of rebirth, to open the 8th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. A packed house welcomed the boy and the dodo picking through carnal house refuse for bones to make them complete, after years of being buried. The staggered rows of rough-hemmed curtains masterfully created depth and movement for the extraordinarily impressive lighting by Daphne Agosin and Scott Monnin.
I loved the changes in movement as a puppet became corporeal, moving more slowly and smoothly as its body got bigger, while another stayed jangly and skeletal in its dance moves and form. The underworld is rendered both vivid and bleak - taking us to marine depths where crushing darkness is briefly offset by bioluminescence (which got a rapturous round of applause) and the weight of the earth gives way to cavernous halls of the Bone King, where rock concerts celebrate subterranean living - and bone hoarding.Â
The set is spare, with the performers creating most of the levels with their bodies in sparkly suits that rendered both starry skies and minerals glinting underground. Bulky rocks turn into a thundering stomping wooly mammoth, and billowing silks are the river of fire. A burping primitive life form looks like food but lures prey that get stuck in suspended pre-digestion. Scary and gross and funny at once. The Bone King smokes a massive spliff although the smoke immediately swirls out of his chest cavity. It is funny every time. The skills of the puppeteers, the brilliant light design, and the excellent singing voices make this a must-see.Â
There are 99 performances over just 12 days across the city. Don't miss a show or two.
Tickets available for the last few shows:Â
The Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building
Cost:$48  Regular / $40  Students and Seniors
Ages: 8 and up Running Time: 80 mins
 For more reviews go to https://www.theatreinchicago.com