The front of an 8’ x 20’ Victorian clapboard house literally fills the intimate stage. Arched, keystone windows are curtained. Shadows of branches play on gray/white slats while eerie, steampunk-like music beautifully sets a portentous mood. The front door opens slowly…to reveal our host and narrator, Cyrus Leach, a crocodile wearing a vest, satin ribbon tie and velvet smoking jacket. Leach, a lawyer, has had an extraordinary experience in the course of acting on behalf of the now deceased millionaire, Nathaniel Axe. In a deep, throaty, slightly accented voice, he tells the tale.
Called to his client’s mansion, Cyrus is shown to the dining room by a tall, thin ghoulish butler. A rectangle of the house front rises to reveal the room, which is beautifully detailed, as are all the miniature sets. Seven prominent citizens “a rogue’s gallery of our country’s lowlifes” (the seven deadly sins?) sit at the table waiting to hear the contents of Axe’s will: the hunter, the blacksmith, the banker, the chef, the optometrist, the actor, and the ventriloquist (whose “dummy” is the skeleton of a child). Leach informs them the disposal of the estate will be decided by a fortune teller…who then appears.
In a macabre story of dark, comic comeuppance, each character’s fate is dramatized as his cards are read. Panels on either side of the front door open as if drawbridges, revealing meticulously crafted environments. Marionettes rise from the dining room and are placed in their circumstances by unseen hands. We watch in delighted horror. Occasionally, figures, cartoons, shadows—other elements appear in upstairs windows cleverly emphasizing details. The legatees themselves, returned to the table, are unaffected by dire foretelling. When we find out why each has been invited and the connection is made apparent, it feels as if a Rubik’s Cube has been completed. “And then something unbelievable happened.”
The Fortune Teller is a marriage between Edward Gorey and Tim Burton as influenced by the vitriolic, satirical art of George Grosz. These marionettes are—art. Each physiognomy is an early Dorian Gray portrait change, depicting the indulgences and limitations of its bearer.The bodies are perfect wordless descriptions in intricately tailored clothing- the actor appears to be Shakespeare. Subtlety of movement is so carefully engineered, one finds oneself imagining a change in facial expression. In the uproarious number of an onstage variety act (preceding the ventriloquist), a suddenly articulate jaw coupled with unimaginably loose limbs brings the house down.
Erik Sanko and Jessica Grindstaff have created a simply wonderful piece. Visuals are exceptional; the functioning house is ingenious—bravo Art Director, Grindstaff…and Architectural Designer, Selin Maner. Sanko’s adroit script is deftly narrated by Gavin Friday with just the right tone of something wicked this way comes. His original music, in collaboration with Danny Elfman, splendidly captures the quirky Faustian aura of the piece. Andy Green’s Sound Design utilizes machinery noises to evoke the period and perhaps in a nod to the rusty, hard-working fates. Andrew Hill’s Lighting is gothic.
Small figures created and manipulated by people, have animated stories for an estimated 30,000 years. It’s been said puppets lack self consciousness and are thus able to entertain, communicate, and affect unlike other performing arts. Hundreds of puppeteers from all over the world are midwifing techniques and mediums to make diminutive, and even life-sized non-human creatures come alive on stage. The art of puppetry is indomitable. Make no mistake, it is an art. And Erk Sanko is an artist.
Photos, from top:
Croc is Cyrus Leach
At the table, from left to right: the Banker, the Fortune Teller, the Chef
Photo Credit: Adam Forgasch
The Optometrist
Photo Credit: Oliver Dalzell
The Fortune Teller
Presented by Phantom Limb and
The Dream Puppetry Program
Created & Directed by Erik Sanko & Jessica Grindstaff
HERE Arts Center
145 6th Avenue, one block below Spring street
www.here.org
212-352-3101
Through December 4
