Simon Ward reviews The Sex Life of Puppets at the Southwark Playhouse Borough

This was my first encounter with the work of Blind Summit, a company committed to proving that puppetry can tackle any theme, and they ably demonstrate that here in an exploration of sexuality in all its variety. This show is co-written and co-directed by Mark Down and Ben Keaton. Mark Down is also one of the puppeteers, together with Simon Scardifeld, Isobel Griffiths and Dale Wylde. They are are all clad in black but visible. Nevertheless, the puppets, made by Russell Dean, are the stars. By the magic of theatre and, of course, the consummate skill of the puppeteers, the puppets do come to life and they are the ones we are listening to. In contrast to Avenue Q, which was my last experience of puppets addressing these themes, the puppeteers are not characters in their own right – they exist only in service to the puppet characters. They are uniformly excellent, and perform their roles with great versatility, jumping between characters with ease. The text has a verbatim or improvisatory feel which also adds to an infectious sense of excitement and fun – we are living the moment with them, and the seemingly spontaneous riffing is thrilling.

The show consists of a series of sketches based around interviews with one or two puppets at a time as they muse on aspects of their sex lives. As with any sketch show, some work better than others. While the determination to delve into some of the darker and more disturbing sides of the subject is admirable, those episodes which veered into darkness were less successful. It felt at a couple of moments that the show was stretching the form beyond its limits. However, for the most part, the more celebratory scenes were really well done, and frequently hilarious.

If there is a single overriding theme emerging it is perhaps an acceptance of the endless variety of sexual desire, as symbolised by the multiple shapes and sizes of the puppets themselves, although the show is careful to enter caveats when desires shade into cruelty and grotesque selfishness. Despite the episodic nature, there is nevertheless a huge (ahem) climactic number to bring proceedings to a close – puppets literally stripped back to nothing in an unforgettable coming together to a Bach soundtrack; it has to be seen to be believed. And it convincingly answers any critics tempted to disbelieve that puppets have sex lives.

The Sex Life of Puppets runs until 13th January at the Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway
London SE1 6BD