Indian Ink Theatre Company’s performance of ‘Balloon Dog’ has made its way across the ditch to Wollongong, with a limited run at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.
This show is jam packed with design choices that come together to create a playful expression of the cyclic nature of life and culture. I enjoyed the incorporation of live music, and having the musician on stage and utilised for comedic timing, 4th wall breaks and the occasional ‘The Office’-style glances at the audience.
The theatrical style felt like watching the creation of some kind of surreal or absurdist painting with the intermittent dance breaks and the mix of boxy and airy music. It felt the way I would imagine Picasso felt when he took a step back to decide if whatever painting he was working on at the time was finished. The set design added to that feeling. The overall boxy design with different levels of the stage, and the almost Minecraft-style painting of the house and backyard complemented the artistic nature of Ravi and his pursuit of a creative flow.
That’s not to say the material or the acting was absurd, in fact, the foundation of the play, ‘Would you open your door to a stranger?’, is incredibly relevant. Our desire to protect our families and loved ones from perceived threats and the seemingly never-ending horrors and dangers of the world, we miss out on opportunities to learn and expand our horizons by letting in new people. Not only new people, but different people.
I’m a big fan of modern takes on historical texts, and I agree with the creative team with their assessment of Western cultural limitations when it comes to literature. So much of what we consume is the same, and we miss out on a lot because of language and cultural barriers. I invite prospective audience members to go in with an open mind and zero expectations, and I guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how much you absorb and are absorbed into the show.
While I think this show brings audiences a healthy dose of whimsy, it’s important to not let the joy and playfulness completely overshadow the evocative script and delivery of each character. The complementing and contrasting objectives of each character form this dialogue about the lengths parents will go to in order to protect their children, even when the threat is nothing more than bias and fear of the unknown. I loved the use of shadow puppetry between Kabir and Minnie, the innocence clashed with the darkness of the stage and despite Minnie being an accumulation of each actor, and their ability to use the empty space around them, rather than being portrayed by an individual, her “presence” was such a driving force for the story’s emotion. Watching an invisible child grow up sounds a little silly, but it was done so well and set up such a casually devastating finale. I commend the creative team and the performers for all their work.
Expand your horizons and see something a little different this week. Head over to the Merrigong Theatre Company website to grab a ticket to ‘Balloon Dog’ and enjoy the performance from one of New Zealand’s most successful theatre companies, right here in Wollongong. Don’t miss out: https://merrigong.com.au/shows/balloon-dog/
To book tickets to Balloon Dog, please visit https://merrigong.com.au/shows/balloon-dog/.
