BWW Reviews: The Puppets That 'Suffer For You'

I never considered the possibility that I would rethink my views on life and death upon leaving a puppet show. Although, to call Famous Puppet Death Scenes (FPDS) created and performed by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop, merely a puppet show would seem to be an understatement.

FPDS is the compilation of 22 of the greatest (but really fictional) puppet death scenes. The shows presents various eras and genres of puppetry. By getting a snapshot of the last moments of a puppet's life, The Old Trout has created a story that finds humor through death. With the help of the pensive puppet host, Nathanial Tweak, each scene explores a different perspective on death from fear to acceptance. It is a dark comedy of puppetry, movement, and extraordinary style.

A majority of the scenes take place behind a classic puppet stage. Other scenes, took place on the forefront of the stage revealing the puppeteers. Either way, the puppet company lives up to their name in creating these puppets.

The work of the puppeteers, Nicholas Di Gaetano, Pityu Kenderes, and Viktor Lukawski, was astounding. They really breathed life into their puppets. Aside from their control and command of the puppets, they all had impressive voice work. Some of my favorite puppet deaths were those that exposed the artists. Their connection with the puppets and synchronization with the sound and music made it seem as if they were almost characters themselves.

Each scene carries weight. At times I thought that The Old Trout was maybe trying too hard to be avant-garde. When considering the show as a whole however, every death can be powerful, even a puppet death.

For example, "The Swede of Donnylargan" was a scene of suicides in the kitchen of peasants. It actually caused the audience to gasp, then to laugh with guilt. Personally, I never thought puppets could cause me to gasp. As each suicide took place, I questioned the scene. I wondered if it was necessary to depict so much. Then as the show continued I realized that every death means something, and death can happen in unexpected ways. On the one hand, the scene is overdramatic, while simultaneously depicting an unpredictable future.

Other ideas like the surprise of death were shown in more a more absurdist comedy style. The poor puppet from "The Feverish Heart" scenes could not get away from the disembodied arm trying to beat him to the ground.

Without the technical work this show would be nothing. As impressive as the work with puppetry was, it was as much a puppet show as a visual work. Each scene utilized music, sound, and lighting to capture the style of a historical period. The technical elements moved the themes forward.

If you want to see a show that is out of the ordinary and you have a dark sense of humor, Famous Puppet Death Scenes is really worth the watch. Even if you aren't a puppet enthusiast, this show is an interesting watch

Run time is 80 minutes with no intermission. The show contains fog, gunshots, and puppet nudity.

"Famous Puppet Death Scenes" runs through January 4, 2015 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

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