@ Manipulate Festival, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh on Wed 4 Feb 2015
A rather profound and poetic weaving of tales is performed with exceptional skill by Sandglass Theater company and lead puppeteer Eric Bass in this enchanting show. Bass has little set, merely a box he stands behind to present five vignettes, performed by his meticulously crafted rod puppets. Each of his characters is in the autumn of their years, hence the title, and provides ample opportunity for sombre tales of regret, wisdom and existentialism, all provided with a slight glint of dark humour, especially whenever we meet one character who is keen on old music hall entertainment.
The show moves along at a ponderous pace and some episodes are longer and more confusing than others. The vignettes that work best tend to be those where the puppets interact with their owner, with Bass either appearing as a voice from the sky or using mask work to nice effect. Despite the occasional lull, there are wonderful moments in here that could even bring a tear to the eye. In particular, the tale of a Jewish shoemaker who meets the Angel of Death makes for a thoughtful, nostalgic episode that ends on an emotionally resonant closing note. Elsewhere a likeably mischievous interaction with audience members, which involves creating a quirky orchestra, contains plenty of opportunity for Bass to improvise his comedy skills.
However, overall, while there is much for fans of puppet theatre to enjoy, Autumn Portraits may not garner too many new recruits to this classic style of entertainment.