Working On Little Edie with Pickled Image

In the last six months I have been working with Pickled Image and devised and performed in their production of Little Edie. The production was developed in Norway through the support of the Norland Visual Figur Teatret http://www.figurteateret.no. It has since toured the North of Norway, London Suspense festival and BathSpa University.

Here is the review that came out after the Bristol Festival of Puppetry Premier this August.

"An Alternative View of Life" by Arthur Duncan for remotegoat on 27/08/11

Adult' puppetry has nothing to do with sexual content;- tho' after seeing the first performance in this year's Bristol Festival of Puppetry, I imagine it could do. The humanity impersonated by these Pickled Image puppets, 'tho' they were obviously inanimate creations, demonstrated personalities and emotions, comparable with living people, merely assisted by puppeteers.

A 'newbie' to puppet theatre, I had no clear expectation of the entertainment to be offered beyond what was in the publicity. Arriving early at The Tobacco Factory Theatre, I found the bar rather quiet & presumed that puppets were not a big draw for theatregoers, who by definition surely prefer "live performers." That was the first of my delusions to evaporate that evening. The bar filled up with animated chatterers, eager to enjoy opening night of the Festival - & they weren't disappointed.

Delayed a short while, whilst every last seat was allocated, the show began with attention-grabbing sounds; other-worldly music & percussion which heralded an ongoing sound-scape of exquisite effect, frequently returning in varied forms & proving a major player throughout the performance. This marvellous attribute resulted from a happy collaboration between highly respected composer, Simon Preston & the almost legendary sound designer, Nathan Ng.

This 60 minute play was inspired by the documentary 'Grey Gardens,' featuring the extraordinary lives, in squalid seclusion, of two American women who were incidentally related to First Lady, Jackie Kennedy. The script is humorous, touching & brilliantly written by Abbie Browne with Vicky Andrews & Dik Downey who also share responsibility for its cleverly directed staging.

Cori Bona & Helen Day are actors extraordinarily committed to overcoming undeniable difficulties. The main impediment to realistic performance with a large puppet is for two puppeteers having to work very closely, while carrying the cumbersome but weirdly engaging, egotistic humanoid, which introduces itself - no; herself, as "Little Edie." 'Mother' puppet energetically spends her life in bed so is more easily managed by Helen alone, from behind the bed head, but only during sequences when Cori can animate 'Edie' unaided.

Puppet voices seem uncannily to emit from the creatures' mouths; less ventriloquism - more, aural illusion. The intuitive teamwork of the puppeteers requires extremely close coordination and instinctive movements, being prevented by their burden from seeing as well as they might prefer, especially in the darker patches of the acting area.

he story is not quite like a conventional play, being episodes from those real women's lives strung into a narrative, but it includes tragic & happier events, even some songs and a memory sequence with a miniature puppet of Edie, recalled as in younger days, anticipating her triumphant finale. The range of antics is thoroughly entertaining & the TV clip is novel too.

Jenny Reeves is credited with costume design but perhaps she also created the colourfully cluttered set with its mountain of empty cans in a corner & a standard-lamp shaded with just a red feather boa. Lighting by Tom Richmond is atmospheric & skilfully accommodates the requirements of the unusual activity on stage.

Festival producers, Rachel McNally & Chris Pirie, aided by The Tobacco Factory proprietors and staff, have re-asserted Bristol's place as a major centre of creative artistry in Europe which deserves to be appreciated & honoured by her own citizens.

The Festival combines an exhibition of models by Aardman & a presentation of works by the 'father' of modern animations, Ray Harryhausen. This is a must for adults & children keen to investigate a hitherto under-explored genre of creative entertainment.

As an example of how amusing puppets can be, "Little Edie" sets a high standard & a variety of performances by companies, some British & local, others from Scandinavia, the Netherlands and America, continues every day up to & including Sunday 4th September. Treat yourselves.

For more check out Little Edie Fan page on Facebook