#8 Backup

Physical Theatre ( Puppetry ) Old Lab, Summerhall

Concept puppetry, small theatre of gestures and objects from companies Focus and Chaliwaté, a Belgian-British collaboration. Sandrine Heyraud, Sicaire Durieux and Julie Tenret on stage.

Backup is a precise, short form (30 min) theatre exercise, a live short film about a reporter trio on an assignment in an icy landscape, covering some incident lost in translation. There are some discontinuities, and the short form is quite unusual, but the show fills its minutes wonderfully.

Charming Wes Anderson evoking nostalgic visual feel. Spectacle puppetry and minute details used to great effect. Fun, highly polished, refined puppetry. Impeccable pace and timing, lovingly worked — and reworked. The puppetry doesn't take centre stage until towards the end, but the pay-off is all the more satisfying. Beyond three-dimensional.

Brilliantly fun scene exploration at different scales and from different perspectives. Man as mountain, music synchronised to closed/open van window. Absurd antennae and mic proportions, mime fun with tangled wires. Attention to detail. World class work, dozens of people behind the show.

A minimalist story. There's a message about global warming somewhere in there, but it isn't stressed. Day show, fun for the whole family.

The story and characters develop, and then it all ends abruptly, like a good short often does. More!