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Open Arts Theatre Karagiozes Exposed
Directed by Athina Kasiou and Euripides Dikaios Music by Antonis Antoniou Designed by Pavlos Sideris Lighting by Giannis Chatzantoniou Cast: Antonis Tsiotsiopoulos (Puppeteer)
Arcola Theatre
A review by Alan Taylor for EXTRA! EXTRA!
Karagiozes Exposed is a mix between shadow puppetry and physical theatre. Karagiozes starts off telling a traditional Greek story as a shadow puppet, but when he discovers the three dimensional world by accident, he disrupts the show in his attempts to break free Starting off with a Punch and Judy-esque routine, the shadow puppet show is very simple, representative and hits the right notes echoing childhood memories, with enough traditional Greek ethos to keep it novel. A cross between British puppetry and Commedia dell’Arte, Karagiozis plays the hapless Arlequino (the origins of Harlequin). Although enjoyable on its own merits, the action comes when Karagiozis experiences the real world when the screen rips. From then on, the shadow puppetry is forsaken for his exploration of the real world, and how the puppeteer becomes the puppet, or what happens when you lose control of something that you once had complete control over. With traditional music composed by Antonis Antoniou, the authenticity of this piece is apparent throughout and its integrity in sticking to the Greek language and culture gives it an air of gravitas. It’s unfortunate that, due to the staging and lack of raised seating, that some of the floor work and action that takes place solely on the ground is lost. Antonis Tsiotsiopoulos makes a good and authoritative puppeteer with a likeable and traditional personality and excellent mimicry skills. Barthelemy Meridjen also offers the performance another edge (and language) with his physical work and theatrical background. The lavish canvas set by Pavlos Sideris makes an asymmetrical novelty to the usual shadow puppet screen complimented well by the colourful and vibrant puppets made by Xaris Mbilinis. All in all, it is very surprising. Enjoyable, funny with the right amount of mood for it not to be spelled out to you, it makes a very different and yet traditional jaunt. I really liked the fact that it was all done in the original language with smatterings of French, ringing through the feeling that a good piece surpasses such barriers. A short show, but well worth the trip to the East End, you may surprise yourself by liking a little puppetry even at your age!
Performances Mon-Sat 7pm
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