WE WALK AMONG YOU by Artichoke Heart. At the Tarragon Extra Space (30 Bridgman). To October 12, Thursday-Saturday 8 pm, matinee Sunday 2:30 pm. $15-$25. 416-531-1827. See listing. Rating: NNN
If Flavia Hevia’s set for We Walk Among You looks like Frankenstein’s gloomy, secretive castle, that’s perfectly appropriate for the tale of a scientist experimenting with the creation of life.
Using the devices of horror films and gothic novels, talented puppet troupe Artichoke Heart – which scored a success with the 2014 Fringe show, Cirqular – investigate a world where monsters and everyday folk have a lot in common.
The narrative follows the fluffy, green-bodied scientist’s attempts to animate the body of his dead offspring we gather that he’s locked up his wife, the child’s mother, who has gone mad with grief and is bent on revenge against the scientist.
That’s one way of interpreting the action in this wordless show, anyway. Much of the story must be intuited by the interaction of the characters, who are often made from found objects.
The wife, for instance, has one handless arm and one that ends in claws her lower half is constructed partly from an umbrella frame, her eyes are part of a photograph but her mouth is the puppeteer’s. A dog-like creature, constantly demanding attention of its master, is defined by a long chain and a mask over its one-eyed face.
Under the direction of Tijiki Morris, the puppeteers (Michelle Urbano, Talia Delcogliano, Aisha Bentham, Andrew Young, David Chinchilla and Alexandra Barberena) create a world of surprises, including a red-lipped nurse desperate for affection and a trio of little plastic-bag, fork-handed creatures which are the scientist’s experimental playthings.
There’s horror and sadness in this world but also wonder and affection, notably in the scenes involving the canine and a butterfly with miraculous qualities. Jennifer Lennon’s lighting and soundscape by Michelle Bensimon help create the show’s atmosphere, which has a delicacy even in the action’s most shocking moments.
Though the moral is laid on rather obviously, the production is memorable for its lyricism and originality.
