Dead as a Dodo

The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival kicked off its 8th season with a jaw dropping production at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building tonight. Dead as a Dodo, a production from Norwegian/US theater company Wakka Wakka, tells the story of a skeleton boy and his best friend, a skeleton dodo. If the other 100+ events scheduled over the next twelve days are half as good as the show we saw tonight, you simply have to see as many of them as you can.

I was joined by my friend Gino, who coauthored our review of Charles Dickens Begrudgingly Presents A Christmas Carol Again. I was especially excited to see this with him because he loves puppets more than anyone I know, and because Dead as a Dodo is exactly the kind of puppet theater that hits our favorite sweet spot: childhood whimsy paired with adult frankness. It’s authentic and familiar. It’s unapologetically unserious, but it’s not laughing at you, it’s laughing with you. It invites you in.

That invitation is a big part of what I love about puppetry; the storytelling is so direct. We all know it’s puppeteers in body suits and creatures made of cloth and foam, but that doesn’t diminish how effective it is to see those creatures come to life. I think it’s actually the opposite. I have to agree with the puppeteer that this is a real living thing, and that small act of participation pulls me into the story. In a way, it’s closest you get as an adult to listening to your parent read you a story and do the voices. Both the puppeteer and I are using our imaginations to give the puppet life, and I think it becomes more emotionally effective than even the most technically proficient computer generated image.

From a technical standpoint, the show is a triumph. One scene transition, which I won’t spoil the details of here, happened so quickly and was so dazzling that the audience spontaneously broke out into applause. The variety of creatures was also an incredible feat, even more so because each was so thoroughly brought to life by the puppeteers.

Part of that “brought to life” feeling is the movement. The portrayal of character locomotion is so precise and expressive you stop noticing the mechanics and start tracking intention, fear, curiosity, joy. Even the object work is spellbinding: the weight, momentum, and snap of things whipping and tumbling across the stage feel uncannily real. Watching it, you’re not thinking about technique. You’re thinking about physics, emotion, and wonder, which is exactly the point.

Thor Gunnar Thorvaldsson’s original music was fun, catchy, and kind of burst into the world like: aw yeah, song time. I was grooving in my seat, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I was singing “gotta get down to get up” in the car on the ride home.

I also love family-friendly theater than can be appropriate for kids without talking down to them. The main character is clearly a child, but the show never makes him twee or too cutesy. He’s scared and brave and excited by turns, I felt those feelings along with him. The world is huge seen through his eyes, not simple or small.

More than anything, what came through loud and clear throughout the show was how much fun the creators were having. It was clear this show sprang from their sense of play and experimentation. We were being invited into that, and it was truly a magical experience. This show is running through Saturday, January 24th, and we strongly encourage you to see it. The festival runs through the first of February and skimming the list, there are literally dozens of shows to choose from. We hope to see you there.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Kevin Curran and Gino Generelli

Presented through January 24th at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan, Chicago. The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival runs through February 1st at multiple venues throughout the city.

Tickets for this and other shows in the festival can be found here.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.