Theatre: Mysteries of the Convent
By Lindsay Schwietz • Sep 30th, 2008 • Section: Performance, Reviews
The Mysteries of the Convent
Convent Building, Abbotsford Convent
Melbourne Fringe Festival (full coverage here)
Sept 25 – 28, Oct 1 – 5, 2008
Puppets, a nighttime tour of an old convent, live music, storytelling, comedy and drama. It all sounds amazing, doesn’t it? And it could be.
The Mysteries of the Convent is Peepshow Inc’s tour of the Abbotsford Convent (complete with dates, facts, and stories told by the ‘newbie’ tour guide Robyn McMicking). In the midst of the tour are vignettes with puppets and sketches revolving around the Mother Superior and girls trapped within the convent walls forced to do her biddings.
It is quirky and cute, but doesn’t realize its full potential. It’s a bit like a drama class performance where you happily support the collective because they are clearly attempting something great, but they never quite get there.
Perhaps the first puppet we see is a good metaphor. She is an old woman telling of when she lived in the convent as a little girl. Like many lonely old ladies, she speaks a whole lot, but never really has anything to say.
The story is disjointed. Directed and created with the cast by Melinda Hetzel, there are lots of great ideas on their own, but they don’t become a coherent whole. The real estate agent doesn’t fit with the fable. The sports bar doesn’t compliment the movement pieces with the flowing white sheets. The puppets don’t connect with the people.
The strength comes from the tour itself – specifically McMicking’s tour leader with her raised umbrella to guide the way, multitude of facts about the convent and comedic timing. The puppets get in the way. They seem like a separate show.
The live music did bring some consistency to the piece. Delia Poon’s cello and haunting operatic voice fill the space with an ethereal quality, fitting for the religious building.
The puppets themselves are clever; although like the rest of the production seem slightly unfinished. I didn’t quite get the point of the random singing and dancing giant bunny and rat. Perhaps there’s an inside joke I’m missing.
I would recommend you take the tour yourself. Apparently Peepshow Inc. are quite the institution at the Melbourne Fringe Festival, this being their third year remounting and adapting this production. And how often do you get to tour an old convent at night with puppets and a ‘lost’ tour guide? But don’t go with high expectations for a piece of polished theatre.
Click here for Laneway’s full coverage of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Image courtesy of Pia Johnson.
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