Blind

From go to whoa this wonderful ‘grownups’ puppet show is a rich rewarding delight.  Funny and even ‘laugh out loud’ to start with, Blind is a marvelous and often tantalizingly surprising journey.  Master puppeteer and artist Duda Paiva in communion with, through breathing life and voice into, his exquisite delicate puppets - delights his audience.

Paiva is a charismatic, consummate, relaxed and spontaneous performer who engages with disarming sincerity. 

The work created in collaboration with Director Nancy Black is predicated on experiences of childhood illness and blindness from which Paiva recovered. 

As a trained dancer Paiva moves with wonderful contorted and controlled extensions.

Sound (Wilco Alkema) is usually subtle and underpins with a pervading sense of mystery and Lighting (Mark Verhoef) serves the piece beautifully.

Like the murky underbelly of a very old fairytale Blind seems to to be a tricky, to the death, tussle between good and evil that rewards partly through catharsis and partly through wonder at its uniqueness.    It is a work about healing on a deep shamanistic level that allows one to tap into the inner child’s sense of curiosity and, leaves one feeling elevated and joyful.

Suzanne Sandow

A Masterclass will also be presented by Duda Paiva on Sunday 13 March.