An explicit, inventive, and strangely charming adult puppet show
A gonorrhea outbreak in an old folks’ home; a banker who is “sexually a cat”; a young man extolling the virtues of being choked. Such are the gems drawn from interviews in the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL), and played out by puppets in The Sex Lives of Puppets. Despite their dull, staring black eyes and gurning faces, deft manpulatio and skillful voice-acting lend a startling likeability and authenticity to the characters onstage. Similarly, The Sex Lives of Puppets is more than a little macabre, but also filled to the brim with personality, and possessed of a uniquely weird charm.
The Sex Lives of Puppets’ narrative takes in a diverse range of characters and sexual experiences. This is propelled forward by a morbid sense of curiosity: what will they do next? Blind Summit Theatre certainly deliver, treating the audience to a fantastical scene centered on autoerotic asphyxiation, shadow-work, and a full-on puppet orgy.
Predominantly formed from monologues and duologues, each puppet is controlled by two puppeteers providing the full range of movement: head, mouth, arms, and the odd pelvic thrust too! There is a surprising delicacy to the puppets’ movements, especially when they interact – a hand on a knee or an arm around a shoulder is genuinely moving.
Each sketch opens with new characters and an interview question, such as ‘What is your secret sauce?’ or ‘What does sexual wellbeing mean to you?’. Most responses are humorous, playing equally on the outrageous and mundane details of its characters’ sex lives. Sketches can be a bit hit-and-miss, with some characters outstaying their welcome (such as an actress who killed a man) whilst others, including the aforementioned feline banker, deserving a return later in the show.
There are moments of surprising tenderness, too, both as interviewees profess their love for one another and when the show tackles its more dramatic moments. A pensioner’s quiet reflection on the vulnerability of falling in love in old-age, and a husband grappling with his wife’s cancer diagnosis, add real depth to the production. This is where the show is at its best, and the audience most rapt, so it is bemusing these are clustered together in the middle of the second half.
The Sex Lives of Puppets’ biggest weakness s this jagged structure. The duologues are much more entertaining than its monologues, yet are unevenly spaced. The most impactful dramatic moments come one after another rather than providing relief between lighter sketches. Some ideas could use more time, whilst others need winding up sooner.
As a result, The Sex Lives of Puppets doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. It doesn’t have the big belly-laughs of a full-blown comedy, is too fantastical to be a slice-of-life snapshot of modern Britain, and doesn’t spread its empathetic moments throughout the show. Nevertheless, the production is an enjoyable one – and deserves points for its uniqueness and daring.
A funny, and surprisingly heartfelt, show that shocks and entertains in equal measure. You’ll never look at Pinocchio in the same way again.
The Sex Lives of Puppets plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 28th September, with Tuesday and Saturday matinees. Tickets can be purchased here.