Showing @ Institut Française D’Ecosse, Edinburgh, until Monday 25 August (not 11 or 18) @ 13:00
An early afternoon puppetry performance entitled Sleeping Beauty usually has “kids show” written all over it, but performer Colette Garrigan is not interested in childhood or sentiment. This performance is aimed firmly at adults as Garrigan re-stages the popular fairytale in a world of unemployment, drug abuse and poverty.
Garrigan is the only performer, stalking the stage as she recounts the narrative of the familiar tale. Her language and mannerisms bring Sleeping Beauty up-to-date and her innovative use of shadow puppetry brings the story to life. A table is on stage and on its surface is a lamp, shining onto the backdrop. At times the performer stands over the light, her large and intimidating shadow creating a menacing and super-sized evil that plagues the story’s princess. The visuals are bold and creative, generating feelings of excitement and fear even amongst adults. Luckily no children are in the audience.
Indeed, with such effective imagery on show, it would be nice to see more of the story told this way, as opposed to relying largely on the performer’s narration. Garrigan’s clever utilisation of household objects such as forks, wicker baskets and even a toast rack to cast shadows on the backdrop is executed with such eloquence that, when these aspects are absent, they soon feel sorely missed.
Nevertheless, this unique take on Sleeping Beauty is a performance that would appeal to anybody with an interest in pure storytelling and exciting puppetry. Garrigan is a fine performer, able to give an old story new life whilst exciting and scaring her audience – whether they would like to admit it or not.