Stage: Let's talk about sex

The Sex Lives of Puppets
by Mark Down & Ben Keaton
performers Mark Down, Isobel Griffiths, Simon Scardifeld, Dale Wylde
directors Mark Down & Ben Keaton
puppets Russell Dean and Blind Summit
lights James Mackenzie
Southwark Playhouse Borough, London • 4-13.Jan.24 ★★★★

Working on a complex series of layers, this inventive adults-only show combines puppetry with verbatim theatre to explore issues relating to sexuality from a gleefully British perspective. A world premiere, the show is based on real interviews with people about their sex lives, which are then performed by the Blind Summit team with witty touches, big personalities and creative visual trickery.

Puppets take their place in the spotlight on a table either alone or in pairs. And it's remarkable how each figure blossoms with sparky energy, as performers take turns providing voices and movements. Couples bounce off each other in hilariously intimate ways as they speak about how they express themselves sexually. So each interview overflows with humour and pointed honesty, offering continual resonance. Some of these figures are so engagingly lifelike that we'd happily watch them share their stories for the full 90 minutes.

Puppets represent a wide range of ages, ethnicities, sexualities, social status and accents, plus of course varying levels of embarrassment about the topic at hand. Realistically, most warm up once they start talking, giggling about their interests, fetishes and feelings. So the chatter quickly traverses the emotional spectrum alongside the flirtation and nudge-nudge innuendo. Before the interval, the show climaxes in a beautifully surreal moment of eye-catching visual theatre, followed by an outrageous bit of shadow puppetry. Then for the finale, performers screen their faces for an amusing pile-on that's played for comedy rather than smuttiness.

Augmented by an effectively simple stage set, sound and lighting, the performers are dressed in black, never trying to be invisible. So they express their puppets' feelings on their own faces, offering a second play outside the play. This adds knowing, underlying echoes of fetishism and manipulation. Since the show is frank and honest about sex, some audience members might be taken aback. But it's never rude or shocking. And even though it's very funny, the truthfulness makes it feel eerily like watching a documentary. Indeed, many scenes offer genuine insight, such two elderly men talking about their lively sex lives in a retirement home. And it's here that one finally finds the courage to admit that that he's gay.

Because this is based on interviews, there is no further exploration of these bigger themes. But the point is that we rarely, if ever, speak about these things. And we need to be reminded that sex is different for everyone. So each anecdote will spark thought and discussion. And in the mean time, we can enjoy the artistry of these performers and puppet-makers,. 

For details, BLIND SUMMIT >

photos by Nigel Bewley • 5.Jan.24

Stage: Fair is foul and foul is fair

FLABBERGAST THEATRE'S 
The Tragedy of Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
with Henry Maynard, Briony O'Callaghan, Simon Gleave, Daniel Chrisostomou, Vyte Garriga, Paulina Krzeczkowska, Dale Wylde, Kyll Anthony Thomas Cole
director/designer Henry Maynard
music Adam Clifford
Southwark Playhouse Borough • 14.Mar-8.Apr.23

Like an assault on the senses, Flabbergast takes on Shakespeare with a high-volume storm of mud and blood. It's a purely visceral production that will engage fans of the Scottish play with its earthy sensibilities and quirky touches. On the other hand, those unfamiliar with the material will find it almost impossible to follow, as the dialog is extremely difficult to hear and the narrative is thoroughly blurred by the on-stage chaos.

This is Shakespeare's familiar story of ambition and paranoia, as Macbeth (played by company founder Maynard) and his power-hungry lady wife (O'Callaghan) conspire to kill King Duncan (Chrisostomou). Macbeth assumes the throne, but the couple is consumed with fear that someone will try to take them down. They proceed to kill those closest to them in an attempt to protect their rule, but this sparks a civil war. 

All of this takes place in a whirl of activity on the floor of the theatre, surrounded on three sides by the audience. The violence is intense, including against children (who are evocatively performed using puppetry), with wine and ink spilled in bloody puddles. Silly comical interludes emerge out of nowhere, with performers mugging playfully at the audience before diving back into the epic tale of betrayal and murder.

Wearing floor-length skirts and increasingly grubby attire, each actor inhabits multiple roles, and since it's so difficult to hear the dialog, this makes it even trickier to keep track of characters and plot-lines. As does the repeated technique of cast members speaking words in unison, which sounds cool but is impenetrable. Even so, the surge of energy and passion is vividly felt, and there are some genuinely wrenching moments along the way, such as when Macduff (also Chrisostomou) learns that his wife (a soulful Krzeczkowska) and children have been killed on Macbeth's orders.

Obviously, this play has real power, and has resonated strongly for centuries as it grapples with enormous themes. The three witches that drive the action are vividly rendered here by the cast's three actress, with shrieking voices that chill the soul. And there are plenty of other loud screams, bangs, thuds, raucous songs and lively choreography to keep things sparking. None of this is terribly original, but it looks great. Although by eliminating the softer textures, it feels like little more than sound and fury.

For details, visit SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE >

photos by Michael Lynch • 16.Mar.23