When you talk about real people and puppets performing together, it’s probably Pinocchio which comes immediately to mind. But director Yang Sun is bringing a different take on the idea to Beijing, with a non-traditional work of theater called Dad’s Time Machine. The show features life-sized puppets, crafted by Hungarian and German artists.
The story begins as Ma Liang’s father Ma Ke is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Following the news of his father’s diagnosis, Liang recruits his father on a new project called “Dad’s Time Machine” which makes use of puppets to chart the story of Ke’s life. As father and son venture through Ke’s experiences during the Cultural Revolution and other major life events, the two also bond over common struggles such as the challenges of aging.
Dad’s Time Machine has toured across the world, performed in such countries as Canada, where it was chosen as the CINAR Performing Arts Seminar Official Program Performance.
The play will be showing at the Tianqiao Theater from April 21 to May 1. The performance will be in Mandarin. For more information on the event, please see the events listing here. To purchase tickets, please click here. While the website currently says tickets are sold out, there may be tickets available from the box office. Call in or visit the box office to check.
Photo courtesy of Dad’s Time Machine
