Their inheritance will be not much more than runaway climate change, an internet that can’t separate facts from fakes, mindless television, and OK, some reasonably good music among the dross.
For a dystopian glimpse of the sorry future they’ll be facing a little down the track, go no further than this stunningly memorable show at the Wānaka Festival of Colour.
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer is a haunting one-man masterpiece of puppetry and low-rent technical wizardry, packed with sadness, excitement, fear and joy.
In Alvin’s world, life on earth has been confined to the basics on the very few habitable spots still perched perilously above rising sea-levels.
It’s highly unlikely that the world can be saved for humanity, but a bit of questionable science suggests there is just one possibility. There may be an answer on the ocean floor that might give people a chance to rebuild.
This dubious solution calls for a volunteer to give it a go, on what could well be a suicide mission. Alvin turns out to be just the man for the job.
He’s a small-sized saviour for a planet-sized problem, but he’s got a hidden agenda. He also wants to try to find his dearly-beloved late wife, whose soul has disappeared into the disturbingly dark ocean.
This is an undersea odyssey with real depth, told with the aid of nothing more than lights, gauze, a few scale models as props, film projection, incredible skill and timing, and simply the most astounding hand-puppetry I’ve ever seen.
It’s an enthralling, charming tale with music perfectly attuned to the story, innovative cartoon-style graphics, and almost seamless transitions between the rapid switches from one medium to the next. Pack tissues for both tears and laughter.
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik
Hawea Flat Hall
Thursday, March 30
- Review by Nigel Zega
