The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
Writer and performer: Tim Watts. Melbourne Arts Centre, State Theatre Rehearsal Room. Saturday August 14 – 18, 2013

The production tells Alvin’s simple story of loss and hope. He is portrayed variously by Tim Watts himself, a puppet he manages formed by a glove and fishing float and an animated figure projected on a circular screen.

My eight year old companion was delighted by the cleverness of how the swaps between each of these was managed. In question time at the end she asked for details of timing and how it was done and was very satisfied with the explanation.

Alvin’s underwater quest to save the world was interrupted by whales, creepy underwater creatures, dwindling oxygen supplies and the light of souls finding their way home to the field of lights. It was charming, scary and creepy enough to hold the interest of a full theatre of children.

The lighting and music supported the storytelling unobtrusively. Simple lights held and worn by Tim Watts provided drama and spot lighting when it was required.

My eight year old thought the show was good, although not top notch. She reflected on how sad it was that Alvin’s wife had died and thought it was very frustrating that usual story conventions were not held to and Alvin didn’t get to enjoy the benefits of his heroic actions.

This is a technically interesting, light weight story of hope in the face of loss and danger.

Ruth Richter

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