Bug Ballet is all the Buzz
The Southern Theater, interior stage right: a larger-than-life sandwich sits in the corner packed to the brim with all the fillings; stage left: a live orchestra emerges to take their seats in an oversized begonia plant pot, with the Music Director and Composer Adrian Cox-Thurmond opening and closing a beautiful pair of dragonfly wings before starting up the band. This was just the beginning of Bug Ballet, a brilliant production that was full of an array of fascinating details to keep the audience captivated, grinning, or giggling throughout the whole show. A show which, Director, Designer, and Fly Puppeteer, Orren Fen noted was “a declaration that what is around us, building webs in our minds, metamorphosing in our bodies is sacred…and our transgender bodies are meant to squirm and transform in liberation.”
Bug Ballet led viewers through the story of a grandmother who we briefly saw thoughtfully tending to the plants outside her windowsill before she passed away. From there, we watched the insects that shared the space with her come and go, in a collection of dance numbers that reminded me of the effortless intrigue of watching The Nutcracker characters grace us with their presence before leaving again.
This show was full of many lovely surprises, from the spider’s web being spun on stage in a meditative and beautiful fashion by Akiko Ostlund, to the comical moth company dance party at the light bulb, to the thrilling and “productive” sandwich dance of the fly. The playfulness of the dances, costumes, and puppets reimagined ballet as something to enjoy while laughing joyously.
I was moved and found myself not quite ready for the journey to end.
I found myself mesmerized or chuckling throughout this entire performance, as each puppet would present itself, take its turn in the dance, and eventually emerge in a larger form. It occurred to me at one point that I was experiencing the absolute charm and sensational thrill similar to watching Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, as I speculated on which creature I would get to marvel at next from this new scale of perspective.
The sultry, cabaret number of the Worm performed by Katie Burgess was an absolute favorite. We were first lured in with a small version of the worm’s dance from the top of the orchestra’s flower pot before a larger version of the worm exploded out the bottom, as it wriggled around the stage before eventually standing and revealing its previously hidden face! Fully made up, with an endless amount of sass, the character creation in this was impeccable.
The show’s ending was a solemn funeral dirge for the spider that we had watched grow up, have babies, and finally end his journey before the ants carried him quietly away. I was moved and found myself not quite ready for the journey to end.
This production took a team of skilled puppeteers, musicians, and dancers to bring its characters to life, and they certainly achieved this. Orren Fen put together something special in Bug Ballet, and I cannot wait to see what else lies in the mind of this clever, insightful, and original creator.
Photo credit: Nicole Neri
