Curtains Up Winnipeg

This is a really hard show to describe. Utterly unique, gloriously multimedia, characters Oogie and Boogie engage in play using white boards, music, well honed physical theatre, drawing, puppetry, animation and good old fashioned audience participation. There is a loose storyline about rescuing a turtle, but if you get hung up on that you lose the whimsical nature of this show. Above and beyond anything else, this show is worth seeing for its masterful use of technology to create an experience that leaves you feeling like you just witnessed kids building a world with their drawings. For sober adults, it’s a downright psychedelic experience, in a good way.

The best way I can explain this show is it’s like entering into the imaginative make believe world of a child. The actors use very little verbal cues to communicate, focusing instead on sound effects and oversized reactions to each other. They start small, inviting audience participation with high fives and help drawing on smaller whiteboards. The predominantly black and white palette drew attention to the simple black line drawings that made up the action. There were so many small little moments of changing the drawing to change the world, and then playing with the consequences. The show worked you up to a crescendo of using the entire white board for drawings that were objectively cool. Fast paced, energetic and so creative, it reminded me of a (only slightly) more linear game of make believe that I used to watch children invent at the park in the summers.

I also had along my children’s theatre consultant, Eli Kovacs (formerly known as River). The following is a transcript of her feelings about the show:

“It was really fun. I loved how interactive it was with the audience and how full of emotion it was. I really love plays where they interact with the audience. Basically everything that could ever happen happened. It was a wacky fun play that was full of creativity. The turtle was my favourite character. I feel like they used drawing to show what’s going on in a child’s mind when they are playing make believe. It made me feel really happy and full of inspiration. Inspiration to draw on my own time and stuff like that. I would say it’s good for all ages. Really good. I would see it again.”

What struck me was how much skill it demonstrated to make a show look as spontaneous and chaotic as it was. All the timing was immaculate. The spacing had to be perfect. The relationship between musicians and performers had to be just right. This is a tight, tight show and as an adult it is hard not to be impressed. It has the feel of one of those YouTube videos kids under 12 love watching – you know the ones. Except that it’s skillful and clever. It reminded me of the late Erik de Waal’s puppet shows, in which the timing used catered to the rhythms of children, not adults.

Like games of make believe, the rules change when you get older. This is probably not going to be parents’ favourite show of the season, but it will make up for it with the delight of its intended audience. Fun, skilled, utterly unique. Very worth it for children.