One of the most exciting new developments of David Bertold’s changes at La Boite Theatre Company is the introduction of La Boite Indie – an opportunity for the up and comers in live performance to have a staged production in the bright lights of the Roundhouse Theatre. The Harbinger is the latest of these La Boite Indie productions, offering the Brisbane theatre audience the opportunity to see Dead Puppets Society’s unique form of live performance, in which the traditional art form of puppetry is reinvented for a modern audience.
The Harbinger weaves a beautiful, gothic and delicate narrative through a rich and visual form of storytelling. Director David Morton said that he aimed to create a show that was both storybook and performance, and it is this balance that creates a convincing and absorbing world for the audience to sink into.
At the start of the production the audience is lured into a rich, evocative world where a fictional city in the midst of war is suspended in a maddening state of terror, destruction and violence. A little girl (Kathleen Iron) finds her way into an old, crumbling bookshop and takes protection with an old man who has many stories to tell and even more secrets.
His many memories and stories unravel through a combination of puppetry, live performance, projections, music and narration. In the old man’s words, the little girl finds a different and disturbing truth that draws into question the nature of subjectivity and the power of language to shape our memories and beliefs.
All 17 puppet characters in The Harbinger were handcrafted, including a lead puppet that stands 10 feet tall. Simply watching the giant old man – the key puppet in the show, controlled by puppeteers Elizabeth Millington, Anna Straker and Giema Contini – was amazing. It was truly awe inspiring how human and emotive he became when manoeuvred with precision and skill.
The most enjoyable thing about the performance is undoubtedly its beauty and the impressive ability of Dead Puppets Society to use multiple performance tools to create a consistent, rich and mesmerizing narrative. If you long for the days of childhood where your imagination could suck you for hours into a fantasy world with heroes, heroines and villains, then you will love the rich storytelling and gothic sentiment of The Harbinger. The beauty of the piece is however, balanced out with a strong dose of gothic horror, social/political themes, and war-time brutality – which I loved, but may not be to everyone’s tastes.
Rating: Four stars
La Boite Indie and Dead Puppet Society present
The Harbinger
Writers: David Morton & Matthew Ryan
Original concept by David Morton and Elizabeth Millington
Director: David Morton
Producers: Nicholas Paine & Natasha Pizzica
Lighting Designer: Whitney Eglington
Sound Design: Tone Black Productions
Costume Designer: Noni Harrison
Technical Director: Whitney Eglington
Puppeteers: Giema Contini, Elizabeth Millington & Anna Straker
With Kathleen Iron
Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove
July 13 – 30
Two extra performances added by popular demand: Sat 30 July at 9.30pm and Sun 31 July at 5pm.
