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| Gregory Maupin, Kristie Rolape and Abigail Bailey Maupin in Le Petomane's No Punchbacks. Photo – Le Petomane. |
Presented by Le Petomane
Theatre Ensemble
Review
by Keith Waits
Entire
contents are copyright © 2013 Keith Waits. All rights reserved.
I am often struck by how a
performance may represent so much creativity, imagination, and sweat equity,
yet the most memorable moments can result from the simplest, most seemingly
effortless actions. At one point quite late in the running time of No Punchbacks, Greg Maupin exchanges one
prop for another by reaching backstage with so fluid and unfussy a motion that,
viola!, a cane became a mop before our
very eyes. It may seem like a trivial detail, but for me, it is as pure an
expression of why Le Petomane earns my admiration as I can conjure.
Le Petomane here recognizes
its most fundamental underpinnings by bringing to life the iconic Punch and
Judy characters in life-size form. On some level, this is an exploration of the
group’s identity, since these characters can be traced back to Italian commedia
dell’arte, which has always informed what these players are up to. But mostly
it is a foundation for the patented blend of low and highbrow humor that is a Le
Petomane trademark.
The early bits of business
establish this Punch-and-Judy relationship as a commentary on the idea of
marriage, a heady premise in a time when the concept is being debated so
passionately, although there is no overt connection made to modern day affairs.
Still, when Judy comes out and screams her husband’s name with a gale force
that bends his form sideways like a CNN reporter caught in a hurricane, or when
he is beaten about the stage by her AND their infant child, it is an archetypal
depiction of domestic discord that is still resonant today. The fact that the
show arrives around Valentine’s Day clinches the theme. In spite of the
improvisational creative process that is their custom, the network of
associations that make up the text never seem random. With Le Petomane, the
brain is always connected to the funny bone.
As funny as the show is, the
underlying cruelty is also unmistakable, and the action establishes a strong
connection between slapstick and human suffering. Inspired, knockabout
sequences in which the Baby is tossed around and narrowly avoids a hard landing
are adroitly managed, and a fateful encounter with Death reinforces the
foothold in dark territory.
The narrative follows Punch
on an existential Long Dark Night of the Soul – leaving Judy and Baby behind for
a long stretch – wherein he plays matchmaker to a constable and a mop (really)
and engages in epic conflict with a small dog over a savory pink sausage. That
the dog delivers an impassioned lecture about justice and the sausage warbles a
hilarious pun-heavy song are moments incongruous and absurd enough to feel
perfectly at home, perhaps only in a Le Petomane show.
The costumes and settings
are beautifully realized at just the right level, never overreaching and
providing ample opportunity for creative and ingenious stagecraft. Particularly
good results spring from fields of chalkboard paint applied to the walls, so
that various words, objects, and landscapes can be drawn when required. The
three cast members – Gregory Maupin, Abigail Bailey Maupin and Kristie Rolape – perform with supple confidence and do things that seem deceptively simple but
astonishingly clever: Mr. Maupin “playing” a chalk drawing of a piano, Ms.
Maupin’s constable in sweet-natured repose with her paramour (the
aforementioned mop), and Ms. Rolape’s Yosemite-Sam-like voice as that pink
sausage. There was also a consistently clever handling of simple props,
especially some brilliant business between Punch and Baby that involved some unbelievably
resilient spaghetti, and highly expressive masks including a red-faced visage
for the Baby that was positively demonic in its suggestiveness – because the
Baby is by no means the most relatable character on this stage.
Oh yes, they also use a real
slapstick: a device carried by Punch with some regularity throughout history.
So, really, what more could you ask? See for yourself and take your own paramour
along. It is Valentine’s Day.
No Punchbacks
February 7 -17, 2013 @7:30 p.m.
(Every night except Tuesday)
Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble
at
1801 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40205
502-749-5275
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