"The Selfish Giant," by Oscar Wilde at Chicago Children's Theatre - February 3, 2008

The Chicago Children's Theater commissioned Blair Thomas & Co. to create a sort of trunk show for them, a show in which all the materials would fit in trunks and could be taken around to schools and community centers for performances. Blair Thomas is perhaps best known for the "spectacle" pieces he created at Redmoon Theater, the form of theater that Redmoon is perhaps still most recognized for. Some of Blair Thomas' most interesting work, however, is on a much smaller scale. I find a sense of poetry in these smaller shows.

"The Selfish Giant" is an adaptation of the the Oscar Wilde book for young readers. It's not a picture book and not quite a chapter book. It's the story of a giant who refuses to share his garden and explicitly tells kids to stay out. Without the life that children bring, an eternal winter sets in the garden and the other seasons decide that they too will stay away. The eternal chill is too much for the selfish giant and he wishes that spring would come. Luckily for him, some kids find a crack in the wall that surrounds his garden and sneak in. As they play in the garden spring returns and the giant is thrilled. He learns that in cutting yourself off from the world in the hopes of keeping everything for oneself, you also cut yourself off from the joy the world has to offer you.

Blair Thomas has partnered with the folk singer/songwriter Michael Smith on the production. Thomas wrote the book for the piece and Smith has written the music and lyrics. Smith's music is folksy and very funny in the way that folk music so often in. He knows how to wring the humor out of rhymes and juxtaposing the familiar with the exotic to humorous effect. The songs in this show are delightful.

The puppets and the staging are magical. I find puppet theater fascinating because there is no pretense of naturalism to it can be very moving. You can see three puppeteers manipulating a bunraku puppet and still forget about them long enough to be moved the face of the puppet. One of the miracles of Thomas' puppets is that the same puppet conveys various feelings and does so incredibly effectively. At one point the giant seems serene and the other he seems incredibly sad and worried. That such emotion can be drawn from a puppet in the first place is amazing and that such shifts can occur is even more so. This is part of the poetry of puppetry -- that so many meanings can emerge from the same signifier. Throughout the production, the puppets and the world of the play moves from large to small. Thomas is inside the large puppet of the giant at first and the stage is the living room and garden of the giant. When the puppet falls asleep, Thomas slips out of the puppet and emerges to manipulate a number of other puppets, from marionette children to birds carrying suitcases to scolding bees. As winter settles in, the world and all of its players shrink until we see the entire town emerge out of a chest. Each new puppet is a source of fun and delight and we love it that they keep on coming.

The kids in the very intimate theater at the Field Museum seemed to love the show. As with the best children's theater, it's also great for adults. I happened to have a 6-year-old with me but I would attend this show without having the excuse of having to bring a child. Its just good theater.