Enlighten Festival. National Library of Australia. 1 March 2013.
Canada has a knack of producing a distinctly quirky, down to earth brand of entertainment, made famous by the likes of Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Martha and Rufus Wainwright and KD Lang to name but a few. The country’s latest offering of talent, hailing from progressive Montreal, is shadow puppet extraordinaire Jeff Achtem (a.k.a. Mr Bunk) with his wondrously creative, Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones.
An endearing bohemian hybrid of Mr Bean, Dick Van Dyke and Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp, Mr Bunk’s practically wordless yet highly interactive show starts off by getting up close and personal with the audience to preselect his assistants for the evening, before heading onstage to showcase his rudimentary yet intricate craft.
Fashioning his puppets on the spot from everyday items such as balloons, teddy bears, shoes and just a bit of masking tape, Mr Bunk swiftly prepares his props while engaging in satirical banter with the crowd. Once complete, he delves into some wildly imaginative and eccentric vignettes.
Utilising some no-frills lighting and carefully chosen ambient music, this puppet master uses various body parts and a hefty amount of finely-honed skill to turn what looks to be a pile of oddly assembled items into everything from a killer chicken or mad scientist to a couple playing a slightly offbeat game of chess. The latter involved quite a bit of impressive gymnastics to pull off.
Shadow puppets might look like child’s play, but at this level it’s hard yakka!
Perhaps the most hysterical creation of the evening was that of the Japanese sensei giving a karate lesson to the audience pick of the night, providing some well-choreographed participatory action that had children and adults alike doubling over with laughter. Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones is really all the proof you need that state of the art technology is not a prerequisite for amusing either young or old.
A remarkably polished performer, Mr Bunk orchestrates the crowd with ease while at the same time captivates them with his earnest, yet somewhat devious persona. You can tell that he has a genuine passion for what he does, and that he equally loves to inspire others by sharing his whimsical inner world.
This was demonstrated by a warm and humble farewell handshake from Mr Bunk upon exiting the theatre, leaving a lasting impression of this beautifully concocted ‘spectacle de marionnettes d'ombre’.
Deborah Hawke
When: 1 to 2 March
Where: National Library of Australia
Bookings: Closed
