Going Underground

Going Underground came out of an idea my friend Robin had about a sub-terrain shadow puppet show. This really stuck a chord with me. I loved the possibilities this opened up for puppets to perform in this setting. I performed this at the Shadow Cabaret in November, with Gary and Justine, along with ‘volunteers’ from the audience who I’d invited to make puppets early in the evening.

Act One

The show opened with the first minute of Oh Caroline by Matching Mole.  Martin lit up the top section of the screen which presented to the audience a bird at dawn, a passing truck and a worm’s eye view of Falco, my housemate’s hound, sniffing at the grass.

With my new head-torch donned, I lit up mole nervously sniffing back up at Falco.  Determined to find his way above ground, Mole scurries off and tunnels down. Along his way, he bumps into a disgruntled badger and a naughty crocodile. A soundtrack of thematic songs accompany Mole on his journey.

I’m not a bat or a a rat or a cat…

Mole sets off  to the 1958 song by The Southlanders, Mole in a Hole.  Justine miraculously puppeteers all the animals (and a bus) in the song, that mole says he is not – All 23 of them in under 2 minutes!

Mole catches the cent of the White Rabbit and chases him, to the classic, Going Underground by The Jam. Mole follows him to a second puppet screen. Queued up are half a dozen people pulled from the audience with their freshly made puppets of rabbit ready to jive to Fats Waller’s The Joint is Jumping.

The Shadow Banquet lived up to its’ grandeur title and delivered a whole host of acts and entertainments. See my post, Shadow Banquet for more on this spectacular evening.

Act Two

Another party! This time, more random puppets and audience-puppeteers going crazy to House of Pain’s, Jump Around! After dancing, mole and White Rabbit lead the others back through the tunnels along to Gorillaz, Dare and finally above ground where Mole meets his long lost pal, Falco!

Crazy times indeed!