A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, BAC. ***

This was a rod operated puppet show by Kneehigh and Little Angel Theatre telling the story of a seaside village visited by a mysterious old man with enormous wing. The town gathered and caused a bit of a sensation and media storm which lead to people coming to visit the town from all over and the story progressed from there. The show dealt with themes of greed, mistrust of outsiders and sensationalism. The atmosphere of the show was set perfectly with the occasional interlude of comical moments that doesn’t necessarily enhanced the narrative. The puppets were operated by four very capable puppeteers and retold this charming story at the leisurely pace of a bed time story whilst disguising the frantic logistic organisation involved in the puppetry work. The puppets were beautifully made and carried the exact characterisation attributed to each on their faces before they were even operated by the puppeteers. Although most of it was done well, it didn’t feel particularly special. it was not magical enough to completely immerse oneself into the story and not fun enough to be thoroughly entertaining.