“A stellar performance with plenty of puppetry and slapstick to enjoy”
We start with Dik Downey as himself on the stage, he puts on his armour as he talks about the ill-fated attempts of Terry Gillingham to bring Don Quixote to the big screen, and then decides he can do it in an hour.
What follows is a brilliantly written and performed show. It is hard not to draw parallels to the documentary Lost in La Mancha, and it feels very much as if this production plays on the idea of the doomed production. It is written and devised by Downey along with Emma Williams and Chris Collier. What they have brought to us is a cleverly written piece that embraces the madness of the novel. It utilises a multitude of disciplines in telling this story, be that puppetry, slapstick comedy or clowning. There is clearly a passion for this project in the writing, it is handled skillfully and with heartl. While exploring Quixote’s travels, it draws interesting parallels to Downey’s own aging, carefully spaced through the play to add yet more layers to the piece.
Downey is a wonderful performer. He is charismatic and clearly a pro. He brings you in with warmth and then is able to play a multitude of characters and puppets throughout. He has the utmost conviction in his performance, which allows him to really shine. His ability as a puppeteer is also amazing. He is able to puppet several different styles of puppets without issue, sometimes controlling several with apparent ease. Adding to this is some clownish, slapstick humour. It is endlessly funny, adding yet more brilliance to this piece. This is further cemented by a wonderful original score by Simon Preston.
The piece relies, to a certain extent, on some assumed knowledge of Don Quixote and some of the adaptations that have come after. While this works well, not being in the know could act to diminish the experience. It could use a little more clarity, and maybe work to explain some aspects further. They don’t make it very far into the novel, struggling to tell the story, which may be an ode to Gillingham’s struggles, but this is unclear. This, however, does not take away from the brilliance of the show.
Opposable Thumb Theatre has created something amazing. The puppets are beautiful, the design is great, and the performance and writing are brilliant. It is an absolute gem of a show.
Don Quixote (Is a Very Big Book) runs at King Dome at Pleasance Dome until 30th August. Tickets here.