This puppet show without puppets had a small puppet stage surrounded by all the props and scenery, depicting scenes from the bible, the crusades and present day Middle East. The three cardinals were helped by a female Muslim stage manager with the frantic activities of scene, music and costume changes. It was done with great organisation and humour ranging from the subtle to slapstick. The acknowledgement of the religious tension were mostly hinted at under the surface but the idea was clear. From the comedic first half, it swiftly moved through history and the serious final 15 minutes cleverly employed the tools and props used in the biblical scenes for current middle east situations drawing the attention to the age old problems of the region. It was a surprisingly thoughtful ending and brought some degree of gravitas to an ostensibly light hearted show. The scenes were all done with great visual flare, particularly an explosion scene towards the end and it was all beautifully sound tracked. This was a gem of a show and highly recommended one.
