A marionette made of ice is Oedipus, and dancer Ashwaty Chennat is Antigone in Anywhere.
Moody and mysterious, Anywhere—a co-presentation by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and HERE’s Dream Music Puppetry program—might cast a spell on viewers, or thoroughly baffle them. Or both. Anybody who goes to see it expecting a “puppet show” is in for a surprise. It is far more somber and cerebral than what one thinks of as typical puppet fare. One of its two characters is portrayed by a human, and though it runs less than an hour, Anywhere is a complex production in terms of its human-scale scenic, lighting and sound design.
Anywhere was conceived by France’s Théâtre de l’Entrouvert, brought to the U.S. by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival (where Chennat, right, joined the show) and is coproduced in New York by Dream Music Puppetry at HERE Arts Center.
One might even mistake Anywhere for a horror movie during its opening minutes, when a hooded figure creeps onto an extremely dark stage and paints oft-illegible words onto frosted glass, as fog swirls about and a persistent tapping is heard.
Those words—“Father, wait for me” are the easiest to make out—come from the early pages of Oedipus on the Road, a 1990 novel (originally published in French) by Belgian writer and psychoanalyst Henry Bauchau. Anywhere is loosely inspired by Oedipus on the Road, whose story filled in the gap between Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and Oedipus in Colonus—between the Theban king’s blinding himself upon discovering the truth about his parentage and his arrival in Athens years later when he’s near death.
What Anywhere has taken from the novel is Oedipus’ wandering in exile, an increasingly frail old man accompanied by his daughter Antigone. Oedipus’ deterioration is depicted onstage in a most extraordinary way: by a marionette made of ice, which begins to melt as the play progresses. (A new puppet is used for each performance.)
Here, then, is the puppetry innovation at the heart of Dream Music Puppetry’s mission: developing “contemporary, adult puppet works … and encouraging multidisciplinary collaboration to develop new puppetry techniques,” as stated in a program note.
Anywhere’s “multidisciplinary collaboration” includes the evocative dancer Ashwaty Chennat in the role of Antigone, as well as lighting by Richard Norwood, often shining the barest of illumination on what the audience needs to see; Pascal Charrier’s throbbing score; and an assortment of mundane sounds that echo ominously through the theater (Corey Douglas Smith is credited as sound crew).
There’s also an amazing piece of scenery center stage: a large, circular sheet of reflective material that looks very much to the audience like a frozen pond, with loose pieces of “ice” floating on the surface. A series of square planks line up, like fallen dominoes, around the perimeter, resembling the stone edging any pond might have.
Most of Anywhere’s “action” plays out on the pond, with Chennat as Antigone first walking around it, the slabs shifting beneath her steps, and later rolling and sprawling all over the “frozen” surface. Oedipus walks and lies on it, too, and puppet and dancer—father and daughter, that is—interact continually. Puppeteer Mark Blashford provides live narration for the show from offstage as he’s operating the ice marionette. No dialogue is spoken by either Antigone or Oedipus.
Ice forms are melting both above and beneath Chennat in Anywhere. Photographs by Richard Termine.
The scenic design of Anywhere was done by Élise Vigneron, who co-created and directed the original production, in 2016, by French puppetry company Théâtre de l’Entrouvert. That troupe subsequently collaborated with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival to adapt the show for U.S. performances—a process that included a developmental workshop in France. Claire Saxe has been the director in the U.S.
As the product of a multinational group of artists with offbeat creative ideas and a distinctive aesthetic, Anywhere impresses. Yet, with its heavy tone, plodding tempo, enigmatic narrative and a few unexpected visuals, the piece is not for all tastes. Some may find the post-show opportunity to go on stage and get up close to the marionette (and that pond) and chat with Blashford more engaging than the play itself.
Anywhere certainly offers its share of memorable imagery: Oedipus collapsing on his journey, the marionette caressing Antigone’s face, Chennat’s eloquent movements even as she’s entangled in the puppet’s strings or sloshing in water. And one may extract a message from the play about aging, isolation, metamorphosis or environmental bleakness.
This is a show that compels audience members to lean forward and pay close attention. It’s a complete divergence from the high-spirited activity and bright colors you get in a family-oriented puppet show. For 50 or so minutes, Anywhere holds its viewers in a trance. Whether they embrace that trance or are eager to get out of it is up to them.
Anywhere runs through March 2 at HERE, 145 Sixth Ave. (entrance on Dominick Street). Evening performances are at 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with matinees at 4 p.m. Sunday; for tickets and more information, visit here.org.
Direction: Claire Saxe
Original Staging: Élise Vigneron and Hélène Barreau
Puppet Design: Vincent Debuire, Hélène Barreau, Alma Rocella
Scenic Design: Élise Vigneron
Lighting: Richard Norwood
Sound: Corey Douglas Smith
Music: Pascal Charrier
