Uplifting puppet show at Warwick Arts Centre

MIXING the ancient arts of puppetry with high tech projection techniques, The Paper Cinema brought Homer’s Odyssey to life in a magical show that enthralled a packed audience.

The Odyssey is one of the cornerstones of Western literature. Epic in scale, it is full of gods and monster. But it is also an intimate, if patriarchal, story of family life. Odysseus (Dad) goes out to work (the Trojan War). Mum (Penelope) waits for him. While he is away she has problems with the neighbours (her unwanted suitors, here portrayed as a pack of dogs). Odysseus sets off home but has a dreadful journey. All sorts of things get in his way (Cyclops, the Sirens); he is diverted to Hell, and eats a meal (the sacred cows of the sun); the weather is lousy. Because of all this he is late getting home. His young son (Telemachus) can’t solve his Mum’s problems and sets out to look for him. Dad comes home, sorts out the neighbours, and they all live happily ever after.

This was a performance that drew upon ancient traditions of storytelling and theatre. Yet it isn’t easy to classify. A graphic novel brought to life is how one member of the audience described it. The fact that the puppeteers sat before us creating their effects only added to an uncanny sense of intimacy.

The show was 70 minutes long and used hundreds of cut-out paper puppets. For me, and everyone in the audience, it was a whimsical and uplifting experience that could have gone on for much longer.

Nick Le Mesurier