Shadow puppets have a reputation for being, let’s face it, a bit uncool. Bunk Puppets, however, bring us a piece of art which is truly beautiful to watch yet still funny and engaging for children. This means that even if the story itself is a bit childish and the character very silly, the show itself can still be enjoyed immensely by all ages, and for children, it’s perfect.
Tink Tank is an innovative, exciting piece of theatre that will amaze children as much as adults.
The story follows the adventures of a rooster, after the farmer’s somewhat bizarre decision to have him look after a baby. After a storm hits the farm, the little rooster must find his way to safety. All this is presented through a series of shadow puppets. The puppets are created from amongst household objects and rubbish strewn on a hectic stage, along with the bodies of the two actors. The performance almost presents as a double show; along with the shadow action, there is also the antics of the actors underneath the stage. They frantically put the puppets together in endlessly creative and silly ways as well as operating them and making the sounds of the animals. For the most part, all of the communication is done in nonsense talk, making it easily accessible to all ages and ability levels. It also makes it pretty funny at times.
Occasionally the show drags slightly as each section takes a couple of minutes longer than necessary. In addition to this the repetitive nature of the action can sometimes add to the drag. However the exciting changes in style of each section reduce this problem significantly as when the piece does change it changes a lot.
Hamish Fletcher and Jules Chapple take a few minutes to get used to with their quirky awkwardness and nonsense speaking, but soon enough you warm to them as it becomes clear that their characters are fun and well meaning. Onstage, they achieve things that seem impossible. Who knew that, with a pair of old-school 3D glasses, you could make shadow puppets jump off the screen? The constantly changing world of bright colours and new adventures is as beautiful as it is exciting to watch. Tink Tank is an innovative, exciting piece of theatre that will amaze children as much as adults.
