The Harbinger at La Boite - Round 2

(Source: Anywhere Theatre Festival)

Besides Ovo, and for totally opposite reasons, The Harbinger was the piece I was most interested in seeing this year. In his welcome, David Berthold comments that last year's season of The Harbinger "gleamed with promise". The piece has improved enormously since it's last incarnation, but although it's enjoyable it feels like what needed work before still needs reworking.

The Harbinger tells the story of a street rat who hauls up in a forgotten bookstore, claiming that she has been pursued by a monster called Mr. Nobody. The bookstore is home to a tired and bitter old man, Albert, who is resentful of the world after the death of his wife. The two forge a strained relationship when the Girl refuses to leave, and promises she will build metallic insects in return for sanctuary.

Albert and Adelaide (Source: Anyone's Guess).

There's a lot to like in this performance but there are a few things that really limit how lost you can get in the show. The writing is problematic - the story has a lot going on in it, but since it feels like it wants to go in a thousand different directions when the conclusion comes to wrap up all the plot points none of them are particularly satisfying. The pacing is also really uneven, where the beginning feels like it's drawn out way too long and when the ending comes around the jump to a conclusion feels a bit rushed. I don't know how much that has to do with having two directors and writers - in co-productions I find that creatives who share the final decision often have conflicting visions, and in The Harbinger you get the feeling you watching two different shows. Whatever happened, there isn't enough character development with the major characters, so at the conclusion of the piece the brief moments of wonder presented quickly feels very superficial. The dialogue is also pretty bland in a lot of places and has a tendency to throw in unnecessary coarse language which feels like it obliterates the feeling that you're in a dream world (like my writing style). It reminded me of a theatre technician scolding an actor - the actor puts their grubby hands on everything, makes impossible demands and whines a lot, while the technician is irrationally mean and unfairly condescending at every opportunity. 

This makes it really difficult to connect with either of the two main characters. Barbara Lowing voices Old Albert, and although she's delightfully spiteful and cynical, she seems wrong for the role purely because her voice (as a woman) doesn't suit the giant puppet (a man). I know it's pretty old fashioned of me, but I like it when men play males and women play females - I found it impossible to buy in to the illusion that this puppet was alive and being voiced by a woman wheezing to try and make her voice more imposing and masculine. Kathleen Iron plays the other principal, a wretched girl who apparently make it her aim to grope every object in the room, ultimately kicking furniture and then whining about how cruel and malevolent it is for being locked. She then proceeds to disobey every instruction given to her by Old Albert, destroying his possessions or ransoming them back to him, threatening him with these awful guttural wails. She might claim to be a victim pursued by Mr. Nobody, but given her behavior I'd say the real victim in this scenario is common courtesy.

Adelaide and the tree sapling (Source: La Boîte).

Meanwhile, in the other half of the story there are a trio of women who surround Old Albert (Anna Straker, Niki-J Price and Giema Contini) and move wonderfully around the stage, operating several puppets in addition to moving the hands of Albert. In contrast to the world of the girl and Old Albert is enchanting, and I fell in love with the mirroring story of Albert's earlier life (I don't know why, but I didn't mind Price playing younger Albert). The dialogue is lighter, the scenarios are more enchanting, and the characters are a thousand times more likeable. All three women are wonderfully skilled, and each of their characters were really enjoyable to watch. Price's bashful and awkward Young Albert are endearing, and Contini's voicing of Princess Happy is hysterically animated and her Mr. Somebody channels this Willy Wonka charm as one of the most delightful characters I've seen. Straker's performance is especially sweet. Perhaps it's because she's playing a female character, she seemed the most natural performer. Her soft and quietly resigned attitude totally brings Adelaide to life, building an emotional connection, and leaves you unaware you're watching a puppet.

Amusingly in one section a balloon popped out of a chest representing the moon, and a woman sitting a few seats away grabbed her friend (?) and snarled that the balloons were used "Just like in A Dinner With Gravity." For anyone interested in the integrity of this claim:

• Similarities - Balloons. 
• Different - EVERY OTHER FUCKING THING EVER.

The sound design is pleasant, if a bit uninspired. There are a few clangs from the original score which were suitably inserted this time and made me pretty nostalgic, though most of the cues were comprised of arrangements of Gymnopédie No. 1. The choice of the impressionistic piece is lovely but it doesn't really seem to evoke anything in terms of emotion or thematic commentary (although the last time they used a Satie piece everyone company in Brisbane did, so expect to see it around and remember you heard it at The Harbinger first). On the other hand, the set and lighting is gorgeous. It retains its previous aesthetic of ancient elegance in an enchanting world. Books and pages fill the space which has been rescaled and shaped to now include a sleeping tree standing prominently at the head of the stage. Trees inside buildings excite me.

I still have my ticket from the first time I saw The Harbinger - this reworking is a monumental achievement for Dead Puppet Society. There are some things that need attention, but in terms of what has been created this is absolutely the most magical thing to grace the La Boîte Roundhouse in a while. It has a lot of writing issues, but it has an enchanting aesthetic and some wonderful characters which are brought to life by talented puppeteers. Like most people I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but I was expecting more - but when am I not . . .

Tickets for Dead Puppet Soceity's The Harbinger are $30-$54, and is showing at La Boite Theatre Company's Roadhouse Theater until September 1st. Duration of approximately 90 minutes. Book by visiting La Boite's website.

The Blobfish That Was Beautiful to Me

I've decided that among all my random ideas for pieces to devise, I've decided that the most attractive project would be on the ugliest of subjects:

Oh, just look at it.

For those not in the know, that gorgeous little specimen is called a Blobfish. There are a bunch of fucking weird things in the ocean, but this one takes the cake for me. They are rarely seen by humans due to the fact they live live deep under the water, off the shores of Tasmania and Victoria right here in Australia. How lucky are we!? Dubbed as "the world's most miserable looking fish" by the London's Daily Telegraph, the Blobfish have no bones because they live hundreds of miles under the surface, where the pressure is so great if they had bones they would be pulverized. Shit man, I'm not even sure if they can swim - they're inedible because they're made out of a mass of gelatinous material which has a density that's slightly less than water, which lets them bob along the ocean floor without exerting any energy. This way they can just float along with their mouths open, eating whatever passes in front.

Lest you ever encounter a floating Blobfish, it would simply devour you whole. Apparently they also make an active effort to consume shellfish such as crabs, but looking at their track-record I find this unlikely, probably just a scandalous rumor concocted to besmirch the untainted reputation of the benevolent Blobfish. The pressing matter is that the Blobfish are currently facing extinction due to deep-sea trawling. They're farmed accidentally in the same areas where lobsters, the arguably better looking species, are harvested. I'm not sure what the rate of reproduction between Blobfish are, but rolls of gelatinous mass couldn't be getting it on too often. Numbers are diminishing, and it's not known if these fish live anywhere else except Australia. Our time is running out!

The look, the sadness in his eyes. Unhappiness can be seductive, but probably not in this case.

Yes, okay, on the first impression they're hideous. Disgusting, fuck ugly monsters. But what an assumption to make to say they're all the same! In the comment sections of news reports across the Internet, these unique creatures have attracted a wall of hateful responses. There is so much potential and content to discuss when it comes to Blobfish. Perhaps a good old fashioned allegory on judging based on appearance? An uplifting tale about self-discovery and finding individuality? Just something to raise awareness about their dreadful plight? I know this entire article has a hint of sarcasm, but I'm serious about raising awareness. These may be grotesque creatures, but their threat of extinction is very real.

I don't know how, but this blogpost has convinced me that this will definitely happen (probably for Capillaries next year?). But to end, I noticed this remarkable discovery. Someone get Dead Puppet Society on the phone, I need to point this out. That's a snapshot of the fat version of Victor Blott from Dead Puppet Society's 2009 show Victor Blott - A Desire to Rot. You may not have noticed it quite so quickly, but if stick eyebrows on our charming gelatinous relations... what do we have here?!

My. God.

The resemblance is uncanny; collaboration is imminent.

But seriously, if anyone in the Brisbane region is keen to help get this ridiculous idea moving, send me a message on Facebook. I think we could be on to something.

Dead Puppet Society's 'The Harbinger'

The Old Man watches the Little Girl the whole time. Not nearly as uncomfortable as you'd think.

Dead Puppet Society have presented 'The Harbinger' at La Boite Indie over the last two weeks, and I'm delighted to say that it's been playing to sell-out audiences. Indie and low-budget productions are often shunted in Brisbane (but isn't all theatre?) so it's makes me feel good that people are getting behind and supporting these companies. 'The Harbinger' is simply charming - a delightful mise en scène feast of the senses to experience a melancholic story told through the innovative fusion of puppetry and animation.

The whole thing felt like a grown-ups fairytale, so I wasn't surprised when I read that Morton states he wanted to evoke a play that was partly a storybook. The play is centred around the life of an old bookseller living a ruined city in a post-apocalyptic like state. A little girl seeks refuge in his bookshop and they form a tentative and unlikely friendship, before they reminisce about happier times in the shelter of the books around them. There is something about the story that makes me want to think it's some kind of fable with a deeper meaning, but alas, I didn't have anyone to discuss it with.

The central focus, and highlight, of the show are the puppets. The stage is dominated by a large puppet, The Old Man, who is operated by three female actors (one of which looks suspiciously like Rosalind James). The women on stage operate and move the hands and head of this daunting figure, and although they flawlessly operate the figure, we never lose sight of them. I wish that they could have been better integrated into the story, rather than been ignored completely – could they have been the Old Man's daughters? Other refugees? A rat runs across the man, and he shows some emotion to it – could they have been other rats or vermin to represent how dilapidated the environment had become? In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter though, since we believe in the Old Man's stories, and by extension, we believe his character is real. Combined with the wonderful animation, the Old Man gets a fairly in-depth back-story, and considering he lives in a dump, we get the idea that he's pretty tired and sorrowful – so, we believe he's a real character. His character is just as realistic and believable as if there was a real actor on stage. In addition to the old man, there are also a few marionettes that are used throughout the show to re-enact stories, and they're just as entertaining to watch.

With the exception of a few sporadic lines from the soothing narrator, and a single distressing scream, the play is performed without any dialogue or noise coming from the performers. This approach was particularly innovative, although it was certainly a trial. I heard from a number of audience members that it was difficult to sit so long without hearing dialogue, and I admit I found it a little tedious, but overall it was fascinatingly different and quite admirable to get a mixed reaction from the crowd. All of the story is shown via animation, gestures, or movement.

The film and animation sequences in the show are superb, it's like being treated to a moving picture book. The esoteric and roughly drawn pictures are colourful and captivating, and are truly innovative in creating a story within a story. It's like watching living art in front of you which deepens your involvement and understanding in the story. There was only one point that could have been improved and that was a scene near the end, where the animation reverted to a sort of cartoon-ized rendering of the villain. It wasn't remotely foreboding or fearsome, and all he needed to complete the image was a monocle and a moustache to twirl, while cackling “I'll get you, my pretty!” to the little girl. It was jarring that a character suddenly received so much detail, and he looked like a pirate. Besides that one moment, the animation was very slick and it was always entertaining to watch.

The only aspect of the play that I actively disliked was the the score. The music was obnoxious and only tolerable, as it was perpetually in your face since there was no dialogue to take focus away from it. There was little differentiation between the sound, and most of the score is comprised of synths. There is some sense of appreciation for the marriage between the music and the set to begin with, but it's just unending, dull and repetitive - at times we could have done with some silence (which could have been just as, if not more effective). Generally most shows easily get away with not having great, memorable music, but usually it's not so bombastic that's it's distracting.

Settings and props are another particular highlight within the show. 'The Harbinger' takes place within a weathered and ravaged bookshop, which is perfectly presented and totally compliments the use of the . The ruined room emits an ancient elegance, and it is accompanied by small stacks of books and lose pages which are sprinkled across the stage. The lighting accentuates and compliments the set, with a scrim being used for projections and to wash the shade with the appropriate colours to intensify the emotions being portrayed on-stage. On a whole it looks intimate, charming and timeless - with this setting the play could be set 200 years in the past, or 100 years in the future.

'The Harbinger' is one of the best theatrical pieces I've seen this year. With its innovative fusion of puppetry and animation, with a gorgeous setting and an enchantingly macabre story, Dead Puppet Society have created a wonderful piece of work that everyone should go see- it's so under the radar and not at all mainstream, I'm sure hipsters everywhere are having fits of glee. Except the season has now sold out, so if you don't have tickets quel dommage. When it's re-staged somewhere and running for a long season, make sure you make the trip to see the show.

Tickets for all La Boite Indie are $25, and helps support local theatre communities). 'The Harbinger' presented by Dead Puppet Society and La Boite Indie runs until July 30th. Book by visiting La Boite's website or by calling (07) 3007 8600. Photos on this page by Al Caeiro for promotional purposes.