Review: POP UP PUPPET CINEMA, Exhibition Centre Liverpool

At the first Comic Con Liverpool event of 2024, Pop Up Puppet Cinema delighted audiences with performances of two iconic films - Back to the Future and Jaws.

I sat down to watch their brilliantly crafted puppet version of Back to the Future, eager to see how one of my favourite films of all time had been transformed into a puppet theatre show.

In just 20 minutes, Pop Up Puppet Cinema took us on the famous journey from Hill Valley 1985 all the way back to the 1950s, where Marty McFly had to help his parents fall in love and then return to the future, with the help of his friend and scientist Doc. And I loved every minute of it.

The company hilariously parodied major moments in the film, including one scene that saw a member of the Hill Valley Preservation Society ask Marty if he would “like some exposition that could help him later in the story”, before handing him the flyer that had the exact time and date of the lightning strike that would help to get him and the DeLorean back to 1985. It was a knowing nod to the story in the script that left many people in the audience, including myself, laughing out loud - and just one of many humorous moments throughout the show.

It was not just the dialogue that was cleverly crafted either, but also the staging. One of the iconic images from Back to the Future is the flames on the road after the DeLorean time travels. To re-create this, the DeLorean on the puppet theatre stage moved from the centre to the side, at the same time that cardboard flames appeared on the other side of the puppet theatre stage.

In another famous scene, where Doc slides down the cables from the clock tower as he re-connects them before the lightning strike, a cable was connected from the puppet theatre to the stage in the M&S Bank Arena to re-create the moment. Cheers and applause could be heard in the auditorium as the puppet Doc slid down the cable and the DeLorean moved as Marty McFly travelled back to 1985, showcasing the level of well-thought out detail that the Pop Up Puppet Cinema Company add to their shows.

Each scene change was seamless and you were engaged in the story from the very first minute to the last.

One of my favourite moments however was the finale. As Doc said the famous line “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads”, the company transformed the puppet theatre stage to create the flying DeLeoran. It was a clever use of the set that was completely unexpected and deserved a round of applause all of its own.

Complete with music from the film, including ‘The Power of Love’ by Huey Lewis and the News, Pop Up Puppet Cinema’s Back to the Future was enjoyable and exciting.

The Pop Up Puppet Cinema were a great addition to the phenomenal Comic Con Liverpool event, which was held at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool and M&S Bank Arena between 4-5 May 2024 - and saw guests from TV series and films such as Supernatural and The Lord of the Rings meet fans and take part in Q&As.

There were also brilliant events, activities and live performances to enjoy - including the Cosplay Masquerade, the opportunity to have your photo taken with amazing set and prop builds and performances by companies such as Pop Up Puppet Cinema.

If you haven’t had a chance to see Pop Up Puppet Cinema, I would highly recommend them - and I cannot wait to see what puppet versions of iconic films they will perform next.

The next Comic Con Liverpool 2024 event will be held 9-10 November at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool.

Photo credit: Sarah O'Hara

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