THE HANGOVER REPORT – Exquisite puppetry vibrantly animates the devastating stage adaptation of LIFE & TIMES OF MICHAEL K

A scene from “Life & Times of Michael K” at St. Ann’s Warehouse (photo by Richard Termine).

Earlier this week at St. Ann’s Warehouse, I had a chance to attend one of the final performances of the stage adaptation of J.M. Coetzee’s Booker Prize-winning Life & Times of Michael K. A critical hit at last summer’s Edinburgh Festival, the production is a collaboration between Handspring Puppet Company (the folks behind the extraordinary puppet design of the Tony-winning War Horse) and Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre. Set in South Africa during a fictitious civil war, the work chronicles the trials and tribulations of a destitute man – the titular Michael K – simply trying to survive on a day-to-day basis.

In short, Life & Times of Michael K is one of the finest puppet-driven shows I’ve seen. Thanks to Handspring’s famed puppetry and Lara Foot’s thoughtful adaptation and direction, the devastating humanity of Coetzee’s underlying work shines through with clarity and steady force. Foot’s adaptation brings fluidity and great empathy to an otherwise episodic narrative, casting a spell over the audience with deliberately paced theatrical storytelling that takes its time to unfold. Despite the relentlessness of the tale – to be sure, this is theater for adults despite the use puppetry – Foot makes sure that passing moments of compassion and humor don’t go by without notice, thereby bringing rich texture to the otherwise bleak tones of Coetzee’s world.

Bringing it all to vibrant life is a team of generous, highly skilled puppeteers who perfectly calibrate movement and voice work to gorgeously animate a number of exquisite handcrafted puppets. Particularly notable is the puppet for Michael K’s gnarled figure, a captivating creation whose range of expression is simply uncanny. Additionally, the production seamlessly melds in haunting soundscapes and poetic video design (projected against a blighted physical set), inspiring viewers to more profoundly ruminate on our shared humanity, as well as our age-old relationship with nature.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

LIFE & TIMES OF MICHAEL K
Off-Broadway, Play
St. Ann’s Warehouse
2 hours (without an intermission)
Through December 23

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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