Roald Dahl's The Twits - Spare Parts Puppet Theatre (6 December 2017)

I have a confession to make.

Yes, that’s right, I have, gasp, a beard. And in the world of Roald Dahl, on whose book the play is adapted, that would seem to be an impeachable offence.

It used to turn ginger (thanks Dad!), now it goes grey (thanks aging!). Sigh. To my knowledge, however, I have never discovered condiments, the leftovers from last night’s Chinese, or fish heads ensnared in it… though there was that one time when I… ahem… let’s move onto the show…

And the lovely couple, The Twits.

Mister Twit is also cursed with facial hair, clearly a sign of sinister character and intent. Mrs Twit is simply ugly. Nasty thoughts will do that to a person. Together they are an odious pairing who like nothing more than playing pranks on each other… and eating bird pie. The key ingredient of bird pie is, of course, freshly caught birds, trapped on the branches of the tree in the Twits’ backyard that have been liberally daubed in glue.

This causes much distress to Muggle-Wump, a monkey also trapped, in this instance, by the cage Mister Twit keeps him in. Muggle-Wump tries to warn the birds but not being fluent in any avian dialects his pleas fall on deaf little bird ears. Until the arrival of the Roly-Poly Bird from far-flung climes who acts like a universal translator saving the birds from future baking disasters.

Enraged, The Twits escalate matters by bringing a gun to a pie fight only to find their comeuppance at the hands (and, I guess, talons) of Muggle-Wump and the Roly-Poly Bird.

In many ways it is a dark tale, however, the ingenious manner by which The Twits are defeated is both satisfying and a positive message to stand up for yourself against the nasty people of the world (and beard wearers obviously). There were many children in attendance and they were rapt with the antics of The Twits.

In this they are well served by the impressive physical performances of Geordie Crawley (Mister Twit and the Roly-Poly Bird) and Jessica Harlond-Kenny (Mrs Twit and Muggle-Wump) who throw themselves around the stage. Exaggerated movement and facial expressions, silly accents and songs, and the use of all kinds of sound effects make for a robust piece of theatre. This is enhanced by the colourful masks, puppets, clever props and set design that bring the world of The Twits to life. There is also a bold lighting design to complement all these elements.

The tree is a clump of different lengths of plastic pipes and conduits from which the various props and accessories hang. The masks for the couple are amusingly distorted – Mister Twit with beard full of food; Mrs Twit with her glass eye that has a mind of its own. All the other characters are given distinctive looks and traits making this a real tour de force for the two actors. They’ll earn their keep during the season in January as temperatures rise.

The story itself is simply constructed. The first sequence is all about how The Twits try to outdo each other with their pranks. This establishes the off-beat tone, outlandish characters, and sets up elements for the couple’s downfall. The story then switches perspective to Muggle-Wump and the Roly-Poly Bird who work together to save the birds then plot to enact the ultimate prank on The Twits. The tale is fast-paced and engaging, and at around an hour in length, keeps the attention of the children. But there’s plenty for the adults to enjoy as well with some sly one-liners that harken to contemporary events and issues.

This is an enjoyable production that children and adults alike will love. Full of colour and movement; humour and a positive message, it will be a summer hit for Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. As we discovered after the show it also presages the beginning of a gloriously ambitious 2018 season for the theatre company.

The Twits is directed by Michael Barlow, co-created by Humphrey Bower and Barlow based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, and stars Geordie Crawley and Jessica Harlond-Kenny. The designer/puppet maker is Leon Handroff with Lighting design by Rhiannon Petersen. The Twits runs from 8-27 January at 1 Short Street Fremantle.

Take your children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces, the neighbour’s kids… they’ll have a blast.

Diva - Creative Collaborations (28 October 2015)

Warning: contains strong language, drug and sexual references.

There’s no denying any of that.

There’s also no denying the fact that this is a searing psychological profile with no less than a full-throated performance by Tiffany Barton. She completely inhabits the character of June, a former New York opera singer now stricken at the thought of leaving her apartment. 

Barton is fearless in exploring all the complexities of this larger than life diva; from the grotesque to the outrageous; the flat out funny to the poignant; often with devastating self-reflection. It’s in your face, immediate and compelling. What a joy to witness an actress not only embrace but trumpet all the jagged little edges, contradictions, hopes and fears of a character so thoroughly. June is, in part, based on a real person so this bleeds with authenticity.

The show literally jumps out at you and at first I was taken aback. There’s a certain shock value as we initially meet June but various story strands slowly emerge in this meticulously crafted monologue. Two great love affairs come to the fore – one with June’s husband Manny; the other with the opera and performance itself. The discovery that one largely destroys the other adds to a sense of pathos. But make no mistake; there is a fierce determination here to enjoy all that life has to offer, with every lump and Tosca inspired orgasm!

Underpinning this is June’s relationship with her father who will abandon the young girl and be absent through key moments of her life. Then there’s the reason why June can’t leave her apartment that is potent in its understated recounting. It will resonate with any artist who aspires to greatness.

All these strands are woven together amidst moments of manic energy as June dresses up, sings along to her beloved opera, laments the effect of age on her looks, consumes pills hidden in a teapot, and happily submits to the attention of ‘Mr Buzzy’, a formidable looking vibrator. Tellingly though, it’s the quieter moments that pack the biggest wallop – Barton and director Helen Doig aren’t afraid to let us observe June who becomes increasingly bizarre in appearance. Those moments of stillness and sense of vulnerability are quite special.

There are two clever devices to allow the character to ‘perform’ and share her memories – one, improbably, is a stuffed cat called Eugene, smothered to death by a drunken June; the other, an ingenious puppet of Manny made of cardboard boxes and rollers. Again, having Barton ‘impersonate’ Manny, become the innocent child who misses her Daddy, or admonish her dead cat allows for changes in rhythm and pace that keep this unpredictable and enthralling.

The simple telephone injects a note of dread as a symbol of the outside world (and the past) that June seemingly craves to reconnect with but is paralysed at the very thought of. Indeed, audio cues are an important component from the strains of opera to amusingly salacious lyrics to prompts to snap June in and out of moments of self-reflection.

This is a well written, well directed and beautifully crafted piece of theatre with a memorable performance that sponsored a most interesting discussion afterwards in the lobby. Highly recommended.

Diva was written by and stars Tiffany Barton and is directed by Helen Doig with puppets, set and costumes created by Cherie Hewson and sound by Max Porotto. Perfectly suited to the intimate black box theatre upstairs at Spare Parts Puppet Theatre in Fremantle, it runs until 1 November as part of the Fremantle Festival.

Once Upon A Time - Fireflies Entertainment (24 October 2014)

When you wish upon a star…

That’s exactly what audience members were asked to do before this charming cabaret show about chasing your dreams within the most unusual of circumstances.  All those dreams and wishes were pegged to a couple of fish lines across the black box performance space upstairs at the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre.

Performer Emma Davis then proceeded to tell us about her dreams which were brought into sharp relief on watching Disney’s The Little Mermaid when she was a toddler. As for the unusual circumstances, well, Emma is the 11th child of 12 with three brothers and eight sisters! A recurring theme became the quest to gain the attention of mum and dad and all the obstacles growing up in such a large family. This was given greater resonance by the presence of Mum in the audience along with three of Emma’s sisters.

The show is a combination of audience participation (yes, I’m proud to announce my on stage singing debut, a rousing rendition of Puff the Magic Dragon with my fellow audience members), Disney songs with modified lyrics to suit, and engaging tales of family activities such as Christmas Day, picnics, and regular visits to the movies.

These stories were amusing logistical nightmares that come with invading a park or cinema in such numbers. But it’s the impact of the movies that shaped Emma’s ambition to become a performer, a Disney princess, and eventually to visit that ultimate dream factory. There are disappointments along the way leading to a lovely conclusion that again had more weight with Emma’s husband present doing the tech work. Indeed, Emma ‘directing’ Ben from the stage when sound cues were slightly wrong added to the charm and good-natured vibe throughout.

The other movies cited were Aladdin and Pocahontas. Now, I’m not a Disney aficionado – my formative movies growing up were Star Wars and Alien – but Emma’s passion and knowledge was clearly on display. I had no doubt she cried four steps into a Disney World every single time. And that’s the secret here – the authenticity of Emma’s story and the elements that influenced her as a person and performer. In many ways this reminded me of Allan Girod’s Absolutely… with songs. Both have a fundamental honesty, warts and all, that is engaging. I asked Emma’s mum afterwards how accurate it all was and she smiled and said they certainly knew how to clear a camping park!

To my shame I didn’t recognise the songs (did I mention Leia and Ellen Ripley were my movie princesses?) but Emma has a lovely singing voice that was featured to best effect in a homage to Disney then an ode to being a mermaid. Normally I am very reticent about being an active participant at the theatre but there was such an enthusiasm and delight here that it was hard not to get caught up in it all. Kudos to the gentleman plucked from the row behind me who, in a funny sequence, ‘played’ Emma’s youngest sister, Amy who I’m sure watched on bemused!

Emma returned to do an impromptu encore to warm applause and as we walked downstairs I was only left to wonder what all those other star shaped dreams left hanging on stage might have been…

Once Upon A Time stars Emma Davis and has one more performance upstairs at Spare Parts Puppet Theatre in Fremantle, 6pm, Saturday 1 November.  

Farm - Spare Parts Puppet Theatre (4 October 2014)

I am a city boy. Born and raised in Cottesloe I’ve never lived or worked outside a metropolitan area, even spending four years in the heart of Sydney a few hundred metres from Centrepoint Tower. The only experience I’ve had with farms is when I was much younger. 

Every year the family used to drive down to Uncle Frank’s farm on the outskirts of Albany. It’s a pretty awesome experience when you’re a kid, this great big playground with tractors, cows to milk and all the strange wonders foreign to city folk. After a few days pretending to be great pioneers we’d pack up and head back to Perth.

Of course, Uncle Frank, Aunty Dot and their family never had that luxury and I guess I never did know how hard life was for them. He was a small man, his weathered face a roadmap of those hardships but he was nothing less than kind and generous… and a pretty mean table tennis player after finally selling the property when it all became too much…

Thoughts that came flooding back when watching the wonderfully evocative Farm. Here three generations of a family work the land with all the attendant highs and lows as Mother Nature provides, deprives, batters, and tests the very fabric of their resourcefulness and strength. Threaded within this, a young girl (Chloe Flockart) eager to help meets resistance from her Father (St John Cowcher) as this world is very much seen to be a male domain. She talks to her Grandfather (voiced by Humphrey Bower) over the two-way and he dispenses wisdom and stories which is the framing device for the tale that slowly unfolds. The other performers are Rebecca Bradley as the Mother and Ruth Battle who represents the elements, nature, and the odd pesky kangaroo or cheeky sheep.

The story itself is very simple but effectively tells of the small moments of joy, the heartache, and the dependency of life on the land. Starting from the clearing of the trees and the construction of the farm, to the planting of crops (represented as gold coins), to the devastation of drought and bushfires with enemies ever lurking like the kangaroos and salinity. The grandfather (Foxtrot1) tells of how the girl’s Mother and Father (Foxtrot4) met which is celebrated in dance but then the inevitable pressures of constant battles with the elements take their toll. At one point the girl pleads in a kind of invocation as she wishes: that it would rain, that things would grow, that her father would listen, and that her mother was happy. It swirls around the stage as whispered voices join the heartfelt chant. The play ends on a note of optimism and with a lovely moment of closure for the girl as Flockart simply dons a hat, finally accepted as a vital contributor to the revitalisation of the farm.

There is so much inventiveness in the staging of this production. It is beautifully lit with the sun and occasionally the moon key players as they hover over the land. A projector is used to great effect to depict messages scrawled in the sand (for the worms to read) and there even is some hand silhouette work as the story of the fox and the trees is told, the fox ultimately revealed to be the father. Symbolism is used throughout – this is a visually stunning production. The only performer who speaks onstage is Flockart; the Bower voiceover used as the Grandfather and also to represent the essence of the trees whose presence, even as ash, infuses this place.

Bradley and Cowcher work silently and effectively and with Flockart make up an entirely credibly family unit. Battle is terrific in various guises and costumes, the most notable of which are a kangaroo that bounds across the stage; and as The Salt Man in an eerie costume as she encircles Cowcher’s despairing farmer in salt. The musical score works in well and all the visual, aural and performance elements are synchronised to stunning purpose, none more so than in the bushfire sequence.

I very much liked that there were lighter moments – the almost slapstick sequence as the family chase after Battle’s sheep; the joyous nature of the dance that initially starts with Cowcher and Bradley with Flockart and even Battle’s sheep joining in. Yes, there is also sadness here as destruction and death is a bleak reminder of the realities of farm life. But the affirmation at the end that these people will continue no matter what obstacles are put in their way is a powerful testament to the courage and perseverance of the Merredin community that inspired this story… and people like Uncle Frank who I think would have enjoyed this very much.

Directed by Philip Mitchell, Written by Ian Sinclair, and starring Ruth Battle, Rebecca Bradley, St John Cowcher and Chloe Flockart with Voiceover by Humphrey Bower, Farm has that element of magic that can make theatre so special. It is on at the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre in Fremantle until 11 October and is suitable for all ages. In fact it was wonderful to see so many children in attendance at today’s matinee.