The Dolls’ House
by Rag & Bone Puppet Theatre
35 min / Drama, Puppet, Family / G
Rag & Bone Puppet Theatre’s play The Dolls’ House is a great family-friendly option at the Fringe. Based on the children’s novel by Rumer Godden, the multimedia production tells a story about the secret life of dolls.
Despite the shorter running time, the production weaves live music, video and puppetry together to tell a rich story. Sisters Emily and Charlotte love to play with their five dolls: Mr. Plantagenet, his wife Birdie, their son Apple, their friend Tottie and the dog Darner. They make a ragtag bunch, but consider themselves a family. The Plantagenets wish very hard for a peaceful, happy life with Emily and Charlotte. And they achieve it for a while, until a new doll moves in. This new doll is a valuable heirloom, and generally not a nice person. If you’ve ever paused in your daily life to wonder on what a class system for dolls would be like, it’s pretty much like the human one.
Like a classic folktale, the play mixes fantastical, innocent elements with the dark undertones of possible disaster. Yet it’s not a dark or tense experience. There’s a delicate, wistful, nostalgia to the production that matches the story well. It’s a children’s story from another era, able to be sentimental without being saccharine.
Seasoned and talented performers move with ease through the different characters. No opening night jitters or technical difficulties were noticeable. At first it was slightly confusing for the actors to be playing a doll’s character while pointing to the actual doll they were playing, but the audience settles in. It’s appropriate for all ages, and if you bring children, they will be entertained for the entire story.
The Dolls’ House by Rag & Bone Puppet Theatre is playing at Academic Hall (133 Séraphin-Marion) until Saturday June 17, 2017. Tickets cost $12 online and at the door. Visit ottawafringe.com for the show schedule and box office info. Apt613 is trying to see every show on opening weekend of the 2017 Ottawa Fringe Festival. Read more reviews at apt613.ca/fringe.
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