Blub Blub from Trunk Theatre Project written and directed by Cho Yeeun lists puppetry and physical theatre but there is very little puppetry involved and only brief moments of physical theatre.
The plot feels like we are re-visiting the ‘trapped in a fish tank’ scenes from ‘Finding Nemo’ but without enough content to justify a full hour. It centres on the arrival of a hyperactive new fish into the enclosed prison of the aquarium, shaking up the resident fish’s thinking about how they will escape.
Actors Hyon Chaeah & Kim Min bring huge energy to their fish roles, wearing rather lovely, colourful hats of scales made out of ‘reclaimed materials’. During the dance/physical theatre moments choreographed by Kim Min we see how skilled and fluid they are but it’s all too fleeting and there could have been a more powerful production if movement had been expanded. At one point Kim Min tries to fall asleep in the water, swaying so hypnotically that for once you feel like you are inside the aquarium, but otherwise little is made of this watery environment and these fish feel too human.
A colourful fish puppet appears once, swimming amongst the weeds creating a magical light effect and this is the kind of play I thought we were coming to see. Instead it’s a dialogue heavy play, verbally repeating main ideas instead of showing us visually.
Blub Blub’s director Cho Yeeun is also on stage playing live with Park Jinho. The live music/sound accompanying the action is beautifully done and wins the award for ‘best use of a melodica’ (the keyboard operated by blowing through a tube). However, when even a rumbling tummy requires a live sound effect, I couldn’t work out why the frequent wiping clean of the tank’s glass wall wasn’t accompanied by an appropriate sound effect.
The set and effects feel deliberately naïve and handmade; at times this works well. But it doesn’t quite hang together, for instance it’s hard to understand why these fish carry suitcases. The backdrop sags badly and appears to have been made for a different space and this really distracts visually.
There are some magical moments during Blub Blub that promise more, and with further development and some judicious editing, I could see something lovely might evolve but currently it’s an over long script that’s too earth bound.
