Photo by Kristin Aafloy Opdan
Chucky isn't the only living doll designed to keep you up at night.
The "Child's Play" antagonist isn't scheduled to make an appearance during St. Paul's National Puppetry Festival this week, but based on the public performance staged Monday at Concordia University, he might as well be.
"Cendres ("Ashes") is a haunting work written by Plexus Polaire and performed by a company composed of French and Norwegan artists. Don't panic; the one-hour show is dialogue free and the tortured looks of the amazingly detailed puppets register in any language.
The storyline, what there is of it, consists of a frustrated writer recalling his childhood memories of his village's pyromaniac, represented by a creation that looks like the offspring of Howdy Doody and Sid Vicious. The exercise soon reveals that the writer has a few problems of his own, most notably a battle with alcohol and unresolved issues with his late father.
At first, it's not clear why puppets have been enlisted at all, especially as the play opens with the kind of "close-up" theatre in which anyone in the back of the University's Pearson Theatre would have a hard time following the action.
But the three-man troupe eventually takes full advantage of the stage with a life-size cast that include a big, bad wolf. Puppets also turn out to be great vessels for madness. The pyromaniac's battle for sanity is represented by head banging, flying through the air and nearly rubbing his face off, bits that would require astronomical insurance coverage for humans.
Monday's opening was sparsely attended -- only about 75 people -- in large part because many of the 400 registered attendees were tied up in other activities. That's good news for those who want to show up last minute for repeated performances of "Ashes" at 5 and 9 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are only $15.
If the subject matter is a bit too grim for you, there are more light-hearted options open to the public throughout the week, culminating Saturday with combating "Punch and Judy" shows and a puppet parade. For more information and tickets, visit nationalpuppetryfest.org
