Puppetmongers (co-directed by brother and sister David and Ann Powell) is usually associated with children’s shows. In taking on Hard Times by Charles Dickens, they prove that puppets can work on a very sophisticated level.
Dickens’s 1854 serialized novel, whose full title is Hard Times – For These Times, is about life during the Industrial Revolution. Set in fictional Coketown, the author presents a variety of people, from the mill owner Mr. Bounderby down to the lowly worker Stephen Blackpool, with a range of classes in between. As usual, Dickens presents “isms” that he likes (socialism), and that he doesn’t (rationalism).
Chris Earle adapted the novel and also directs the production. He has reduced the number of characters, but still retains the author’s colourful, if wordy prose. The three actors (the Powells and Anand Rajaram) both speak for the characters, as well as carry on the connecting narration.
The main storyline follows the Gradgrind family. Mr. Gradgrind runs a school where the students learn only facts. This emphasis on rational thought has made daughter Louisa emotionally stunted, and son Tom rebellious. The Gradgrinds take in abandoned circus child Sissy Jupe, who becomes the only “feeling” person in the home. Louisa makes a bad marriage with the blowhard mill owner Bounderby, many years her senior, while Tom gets himself into terrible trouble. A major subplot involves mill hand Stephen Blackpool and trade unionism.
First, let’s get the major problem out of the way. Whether it was opening-night jitters, or lack of rehearsal time, there were fluffed lines which broke the rhythm of the play. Ann Powell was the worst offender. One assumes, however, that things will settle down during the run.
In truth, the Powells and Rajaram, have mountains of work to do during the performance. They have to play all the characters, control the puppets, cope with the plethora of props, and move around the many set pieces. They also adopt various accents as befits each character’s station in society. That’s a lot to remember, particularly Dickens’s dense language.
The glory of this production are the puppets, all designed, constructed and costumed by the ubertalented Powells. Characters are portrayed through a wide sweep of puppets – hand, stand, stick and shadow. The cast also dons face masks and costumes, so they become living puppets. The Powells designed the clever set as well.
The show is filled with imaginative touches. For example, the child Tom becomes a young man by tugging on the puppet’s legs to make them longer. The circus tent is created by attaching hooks to the central curtain so it billows out. Sense of place is established through an array of silhouettes back-projected on the curtain, such as climbing vines for a garden, pulsing machinery for the mill, or images of bareback riders for the circus.
Director Earle and the cast have included plenty of humour. For example, when the surly teacher Mr. M'Choakumchild makes his entrance, he may be just a head on a stick, but his expression is so fierce, that when he engages in a staring contest with the audience, you can’t help but laugh. Also generating chuckles is the supremely indolent gentleman James Harthouse and his studied languor.
I have always admired Anand in his Second City appearances, but his portrayal of various roles in Hard Times demonstrates that he is a great actor indeed. The Powells are not on his level, but there is a charm to the integrity of their performances.
Hard Times is a very ambitious and complex puppet show that brings life to the world, and more to the point, the spirit of Dickens.
Hard Times
- Directed and adapted from the Charles Dickens novel by Chris Earle
- Starring Ann Powell, David Powell and Anand Rajaram
- At Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto
Hard Times continues until Oct. 16.
