State of Bewilderment
Based on the work of Michael Leunig
Performed by Trestle Theatre Company
Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
From November 7
Reviewed by Brendan Doyle
An angel flits above the noisy, dusty city. Vasco Pyjama rows across the stage in an armchair with his direction-finding duck. Businessmen strut around with skyscrapers on their heads. Yes, this is the world of Michael Leunig, brought to life on stage by an English company who have succeeded in creating entertaining theatre from Leunig's unique view of the world.
Using eight talented performers, 21 puppets and 42 huge, papier-mâché heads, plus a lot of stage wizardry, the very inventive Trestle Theatre Company tell the story of one man's quest for meaning. There is little dialogue; it's all conveyed through mime, sound, lighting and impressive stage effects.
We begin in the city, where Leunig's familiar, forlorn "Everyman" with his huge bulbous nose and stooped shoulders looks through his "understandascope" in a vain effort to find meaning in the alienating urban environment. Trying to plant flowers, he is intimidated by the skyscraper-businessmen and an officious type who harangues him with a megaphone: "Dreams will be towed away." He tries to escape it all at the Toucan Club, but only finds more loneliness and absurdity.
Finally he ends up at Curly Flat (population 74), inhabited by multi-coloured clones of Mr Curly (the one with the curly top-knot). Curly Flat is a place of child-like innocence and joie de vivre, where he is instantly accepted. These folks live for the moment, enjoy music, dance, fooling around and the beauty of the night sky. The "Man" has found something positive at last. All seems rosy, then a refrigerator falls out of the sky and squashes him. But he ends up as the white angel.
The joy of Leunig's best cartoons is that suddenly we see things in a new light. Often, it's a pessimistic, even nihilistic view. But even that black humour can open a way to a new understanding and therefore the possibility of changing the world. This stage production is a valiant effort to transfer some of Leunig's vision from page to stage. The result is a whimsical, dream-like theatre experience which captures some of Leunig's uniqueness.
According to the publicity, the Trestle company aims "to popularise visual and physical theatre" by performing in village halls and open fields, as well as opera houses. I was disappointed to learn that this production will only be playing in Sydney because it deserves to be seen by kids and adults who can't afford to go to the Opera House.