FB REVIEW: THE ADVENTURES OF ALVIN SPUTNIK
Tue, Mar 9, 2010
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
By Kosta Jaric
Picture this: Finding Nemo’s cuteness, The Road’s desperate journey, and a polystyrene ball named Alvin that you’ll absolutely fall in love with (and trust me, you will). This conveys just how much The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer should pleasantly surprise you.
Featuring at The Arch at the back of the Holden St Theatres, Tim Watts (for WA’s Weeping Spoon Productions) unfurls a brave, funny and inspiring tale of one man in a world submerged, losing everything and trying to find it again. Alvin Sputnik is a citizen of a newly submerged Earth (think Waterworld but with normal people), where efforts to find a place for the human race to live have been futile. With few brave volunteers left, Alvin decides to plummet into the sea to find the solution, even if he really wants to find the greatest thing he has already lost.
Tim Watts is the writer, director, performer, puppeteer and animator; he does it all from on stage (invisible in his black body suit) with his laptop, a modified Wii remote and a polystyrene ball. The sets, as simple as they are, actually become an all-encompassing world that is easy to engulf yourself in. The mixture of animation, puppetry, singing and even ukulele is beautifully crafted together. Driven by a cinematic-style score, the imagery that it all evokes is quite simply amazing. Even if all this doesn’t capture your attention, then a moment where Alvin discovers a submerged disco ball should make you laugh uncontrollably.
Winner of the Best Solo Show award at the 2009 New York International Fringe, there is little that can be said about Alvin Sputnik that could really capture just how fresh and endearing this one-man show is. Arguably, there is nothing else at the Fringe that will be as funny and touching at the same time. As much an enthralling tale of adventure as it is a love story, it targets a myriad of emotions and hits the bulls eye on all of them. This is like one of your childhood daydreams, but better.
HOW MUCH: 18-21, 23-28 Feb, 2-7 Mar @ 9pm, 9-12 Mar @ 9.15pm A$22.50 C$18.50 FB TIX $18.50 G$18.75, 13-14 Mar @ 9.15pm A$25.00 C$18.50 BENEFITS$18.50 G$18.75
WHEN: 18-21, 23-28 Feb, 2-7 Mar @ 9pm, 9-14 Mar @ 9:15pm
WHERE: Holden Street Theatres – The Arch, 34 Holden St, Hindmarsh
BOOKINGS: 1300 FRINGE (374 643), adelaidefringe.com.au, Fringetix & Venue*Tix outlets
MORE INFO: http://www.perththeatre.com.au/productions/?id=97
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer. Holden St Theatres.
By Kosta Jaric.
Picture this: Finding Nemo’s cuteness, The Road’s desperate journey, and a polystyrene ball named Alvin that you’ll absolutely fall in love with (and trust me, you will). This conveys just how much The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer should pleasantly surprise you.
Featuring at The Arch at the back of the Holden St Theatres, Tim Watts (for WA’s Weeping Spoon Productions) unfurls a brave, funny and inspiring tale of one man in a world submerged, losing everything and trying to find it again. Alvin Sputnik is a citizen of a newly submerged Earth (think Waterworld but with normal people), where efforts to find a place for the human race to live have been futile. With few brave volunteers left, Alvin decides to plummet into the sea to find the solution, even if he really wants to find the greatest thing he has already lost.
Tim Watts is the writer, director, performer, puppeteer and animator; he does it all from on stage (invisible in his black body suit) with his laptop, a modified Wii remote and a polystyrene ball. The sets, as simple as they are, actually become an all-encompassing world that is easy to engulf yourself in. The mixture of animation, puppetry, singing and even ukulele is beautifully crafted together. Driven by a cinematic-style score, the imagery that it all evokes is quite simply amazing. Even if all this doesn’t capture your attention, then a moment where Alvin discovers a submerged disco ball should make you laugh uncontrollably.
Winner of the Best Solo Show award at the 2009 New York International Fringe, there is little that can be said about Alvin Sputnik that could really capture just how fresh and endearing this one-man show is. Arguably, there is nothing else at the Fringe that will be as funny and touching at the same time. As much an enthralling tale of adventure as it is a love story, it targets a myriad of emotions and hits the bulls eye on all of them. This is like one of your childhood daydreams, but better.
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