A trip to a planet far away may sound like a treacherous adventure but in Dreams of a Lonely Planet you will navigate this colourful journey feeling safe, warm, and cosy.
Boy (Izzy Leclezio) has the power to travel to wherever his heart desires with the help of his flying bike and glorious cape. Newfound friends Moral Compass (Estelle Brown) and Lamplighter (Isobelle Collie) accompany Boy through parts of this intergalactic journey which is presented through a series of sweet vignettes.
Dreams of a Lonely Planet. Photography by Minni Karamfiles.
Entering the performance space is an experience itself. The corridor to enter the Blueroom Studio has been transformed into a glittering cloud and on the other side is a room painted with stars, planets, and a moon. Set and costume designer Nikita Bernado has created a space closely aligned to a child’s bedroom, one that every child would want, even with cushions on the floor for audience members to embrace the extra comfy vibes.
A blanket fort sits in the corner of the stage and is used as the canvas for the shadow puppetry. These simple projections are an excellent and effective tool used to progress the story while conveying concepts that are otherwise hard to visually represent. The fort is a welcome reminder of childhood and their special ability to become a portal to other worlds.
Dreams of a Lonely Planet. Photography by Minni Karamfiles.
Director Yvan Karlsson mixes the shadow puppetry between and within the vignettes which also see the three performers dance and climb across the stage. With no spoken dialogue, besides the occasional voice over, the story relies upon movement which is another highlight of this production. The dance backgrounds of the performers are evident as they each fully embody the playful and whimsical choreography with ease.
There’s a nice distinction between each character shown through their different styles of movement. Lamplighter shows their humorous personality through playful and exaggerated movements, Moral Compass flows ethereally across the stage while Boy is full of curiosity and wonder. However, what really steals the show are the fantastic array of inquisitive facial expressions from the characters that never fail to create laughs from the audience.
Dreams of a Lonely Planet. Photography by Minni Karamfiles.
Dreams of a Lonely Planet has found its power within its simplicity. The show’s key forms of storytelling, movement and shadow puppetry, are executed brilliantly. I found myself quite unexpectedly being wrapped up within the magic of this story and left feeling nostalgic and reminded of the power of imagination.
Dreams of a Lonely Planet is on a The Blueroom Theatre from now until October 1.