Emerging theatre company Datou Theatre bring three fables to life in charming fashion in their new puppetry work A Fable.
The production, written by Jessica Ji and Yu Song, is a tightly formed half-hour puppetry piece which threads together three moral folktales: the ill-judged killing of a loyal dog, a wolf’s cruel repayment of kindness, and the more recognisable story of an emperor in new, invisible, clothing. Ji and Song’s writing blends the three stories neatly, using the cunning wolf as the figure which brings trouble to the trio of tales, in a show that, due to its nature, is universally accessible.
It is the intricate nature of the puppets, beautifully designed and gorgeously detailed, which elevates this puppetry production. The puppets walk, run, twist and jump all with great ease under the control of performers Ji, Song and Melody Bainbridge-Todd, in a manner which, despite the puppets’ size, creates a piece of theatre that is hard to take your eyes off. As soon as you enter the performance space, the performers are quick to interact with the audience, introducing the puppets to you, which nibble at your shoes or try to jump onto your lap, in a deftly sweet move that invites you into their world.
Indeed, the result of this is that the piece’s more dramatic moments produce a strong emotional response. The killing of the loyal dog, shocking and sudden, is impressively moving, achieved well with slow controls of the puppet and a sudden change in lighting, while the goofy nature of the unknowingly naked Emperor, who bounces and struts on the stage, is an amusing inclusion.
That said, it is a performance where your proximity to the stage really makes or breaks your engagement and immersion within the stories. The strikingly designed sets for the puppets to engage and interact with are all neatly held across a couple of table-tops. This does mean, however, that the best view is probably central, front row, and so where the piece is acutely squashed into the centre, it can be a little harder to see the puppets’ reactions and gestures from certain angles. This is complicated by the minimal dialogue, used sparingly to pull stories together and relying instead upon the physical storytelling and sound effects. It does not detract from the high skill on display here, but one wonders whether more could be done with the use of shadow to enlarge the storytelling a little.
Despite its brevity, A Fable is a memorable piece of puppet theatre. Through its design, its careful connecting of the three stories and the talented performances by the three leads, the care and attention given to this production is clear to see, securely drawing out the morals of each tale. For puppetry fans, this is a strong piece, but for new fans, this is a welcoming and delightful gateway into the style.
