Last year, Jeff Achtem’s ‘Swamp Juice’ took the art of shadow puppetry to mesmeric heights. This year’s ‘Slapdash Galaxy’ repeats the achievement in astonishing fashion. The levels of invention that Achtem puts into his junkyard props to turn them into a warped, bric-a-brac solar system, and the levels of delight his puppetry brings from the audience combine to create a dazzling sense of childlike wonder even in those much older.
What makes Achtem’s achievement so impressive is the way he brings so much depth, emotion and warmth to his puppets from even the tiniest movements, whilst never sacrificing the comic effect of his clownish, bumbling persona. Dressed head to toe in mismatched garb, his Mr Bean-like burble took a little bit of getting used to, but once he hooked you with the story of his puppet figures, it feelt like a gateway to a whole world of slapdash imaginings. Tracking the story of Sam and Junior, two boys travelling in search of their father across the galaxy, Achtem conjures up a world of giant chefs made of cardboard and villainous spiders created from balloon and ticker tape. Despite being bits of paper projected against the wall his characters managed to display astonishing resonance. Even the way characters blink and the way Achtem ‘zooms in’ on their lonely and troubled expressions by moving their shadows further into focus was astonishing, making this show a beautiful work of animation.
The show’s main strength comes from this beauty combined with a fantastically entertaining way of engaging the audience. Whether entrusting a man on the front row with being the bad guy and lowering a spider to attack a ship, or simply goofing around with props for the excitement of the audience, the super lo-tech charm of this show is sure to win over absolutely anyone with a pulse.
