LIFE AND TIMES OF MICHAEL K
How lucky we Angelenos are to have the Wallis theatre in our midst, in general, but last week-end in particular because we were treated to this extraordinary show. There are not enough superlatives for Life and Times of Michael K, but the words brilliant, phenomenal, stupendous, astonishing, fantastic, and astounding spring immediately to mind. The show is presented by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, who also brought us the critically-acclaimed War Horse and Little Amal, both of which I very sadly missed because of my double-bookings at those times. (But I promise that I will never miss anything from them again!)
Craig Leo and Marty Kintu, working “Michael K.” Photo by Fiona McPherson, as is the one at the top this review.
The production is puppetry, projections, and perfection.
Life and Times of Michael K is so stunning that nobody in the audience I saw it with talked for the entire two hours! It seemed like no one even breathed.
The first line of the description of that artistic company on their website is: “World leaders in the art of puppetry, the Handspring Puppet Company redefines what is possible in contemporary theatre.” Never has there been a more apt assessment!!!
The company is so wonderful, in fact, that I’m tearing myself inside-out trying to come up with a review that’s worthy of them! So please forgive me if it’s a little disjointed.
How did they, or anyone actually, think of turning JM Coetzee’s complicated 1983 South African novel into not only a play, but one with a puppet playing the lead??? It boggles my mind. So let’s discuss the puppet cast first.
The other characters are played by humans, but Michael, his elderly mother, and a trio of adorable children are the puppets. They are sooo life-like and expressive despite having faces that do not move! I seriously believed that they were real people.
(L-R, not counting the puppet children) Nolefefe Ntshuntshe, Markus Schabbing, and Andrew Buckland. Photo by Fiona McPherson.
Michael is the main one, of course, and at one point, he gets undressed, so we get a glimpse into how he’s made. He’s wooden, but not solid-–when he’s naked, (with anatomically correct wood!,) his body looks just kind of like twigs put together. It’s incredible that an artist can come up with that work.
All the movement is fascinating. I was especially captivated by his walking.
Now, let’s get to the humans, who are such talented people. As stunning as the magical puppetry is, the cast is comprised of incredible actors. Some act and perform the puppetry, which is just mind-blowing to me. As the saying goes, I cannot even walk and chew gum at the same time!
Their acting is made even more special by their beautiful South African accents. Their diction and enunciation are so perfect that I did not miss even one word of the almost-two-hour dialogue. (That might be one reason for no audience chat during the show—no one had to ask their seat-mate, “What did they say?”)
(L-R, not counting the puppet) Faniswa Yisa, Billy Edward, Craig Leo, Carlo Daniels, Sandra Prinsloo, and Andrew Buckland. Photo by Fiona McPherson.
I could listen to the actors speak all day, partly for a personal reason. One of my favorite friends in the world, Gina Nel, is from there. Even though she’s always in my heart, I haven’t seen her in years, so when I hear people who sound like she does, it warms my heart while bringing a tear to my eye. (With her lovely speech, she always made me do my exaggerated Brooklyn accent for her, which made her laugh more than anything. Glad to oblige. I guess opposites do attract.)
The bare bones of Michael K. Photo by Fiona McPherson.
On top of all of the above, Life and Times of Michael K is an intriguing tale. (And I love that there’s no “The” at the beginning of the title.) It’s basically about the journey of one man, (who was born with a cleft lip, which made his life somewhat difficult,) from Cape Town to his mother’s native in South Africa. And it’s all complicated by a (fictitious) civil war. But there’s a lot of humor among the bleakness. And the live action is augmented by projections and soundless videos.
One caveat if you’re ever lucky enough to see it anywhere: don’t let your mind wander for even a minute because it can be a bit confusing at times. But you’ll always get the gist. And be awed by the beauty of the production.
Since this was a very limited engagement, Life and Times of Michael K is over at the Wallis. But I suggest you keep an eye out to see if it’s ever playing near you.
And to make sure you don’t miss any of the Wallis’ future worthwhile presentations, please check-out their full schedule right here: www.thewallis.org
