By Ernest Kearney — Puppeteer Jean Minuchin’s Still Life of an Orange and Other Puppet Parables starts off strong and closes strong but… somewhere along the way, the middle falls out, leaving a center that doesn’t seem connected to the creative bookends it’s wedged between.
The show opens with a social fairy tale of the three little piggies, being threatened to be uprooted by gentrification. The tale is cleverly told with shadow puppets inspired by the Balinese culture.
This leads into a short film about an artist and AIDS activist who struggles to cope with the insecurity of her subsidized housing as well as the ravages of her illness. The piece ends with a retelling of Genesis in which Minuchin plays a very loving, if somewhat bemused, Creator.
Minuchin’s artistry and puppetry skills are undeniable and present overall.
It is just in the middle section, where Minuchin pours out a basket of “trash,” (from which she proceeds to configure forms slightly human in nature) that the through line becomes muddled.
Whether the “trash” is her take on the Scripture’s handful of dust is unclear, and this lack of clarity impedes the impact that she has set up and dilutes the strength of the closing.
A re-working and reexamination of her intention would serve her well and, sadly, though her evident talents deserve more, the show rates a BRONZE MEDAL.
♦ ♦ ♦
The Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018 is officially closed. However, several shows have been extended.
Looking for more Fringe?
For more information on Still Life of an Orange and Other Puppet Parables, to
view the list of show extensions and for all Fringe updates click HERE.
Click HERE to see more TVolution Award Winners.
The TVolution is a boutique site,
promoting locally accessed
Arts and Entertainment Events and Happenings
Please remember to
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter @theTVolution
And Subscribe to our Newsletter
(Box on the Left Rail)
We Thank You for Supporting the Voices of TheTVolution
Every Click Helps
Looking for More Events? Click HERE
