Review: UNDARK at Trouble Puppet Theatre Company

Trouble Puppet has long been one of Austin’s stellar theatre companies. They are incomparable creatives whose tools are only limited by imagination and UNDARK is a prime example of why they have received so much well deserved praise. 

UNDARK tells the story of American corporate greed and the abuse of factory workers in one of our nation’s darkest stories. Conner Hopkins’ original script follows the tragic steps of the ‘Radium Girls’, who in 1918 were hired to paint luminous dials on watches and clocks with newly discovered element radium paint. We all realize how incredibly toxic the substance is today, but in the early 20th century all the public knew was that it glowed in the dark. Watches for soldiers in WWI were saved by having timepieces that could be seen at night without illuminating their positions. Ultimately it’s a cautionary tale of corporate greed over the safety of workers and considering how labor standards have been rolled back, it’s a very timely reminder as well. Hopkins’s script is amazing, touching on familiar moments with the audience with tenderness and grace. 

It's a visually stunning production that is presented with spectacular puppet movement and shadow puppetry projected on a screen behind the puppeteers. The puppets move and speak with the unbelievable talents of Aileen Adler, Oskar Brian, Catherine Collett and Melissa McKnight. These four seamlessly act through their lifeless counterparts, creating true human movement and emotional connection. The Lighting Design by Amy Lewis is perfection, creating both focus and softer lighting highlighting the performance on stage. The video design by Chris Owen is simply amazing, it gives us a great narrative that the audience follows with rapt attention. The entire production is woven together by playwright Conner Hopkins’ mastery as a directorial visionary. It is truly one of the most memorable original shows I’ve seen in some time. 

I hope that you’ll get a chance to catch UNDARK: A Radioactive Puppet Play in its full glory at The Vortex Theatre in its final weekend. You’ll be glad you did. 

UNDARK: A Radioactive Puppet Play

by Connor Hopkins

Directed by Connor Hopkins

The Vortex Theatre

Feb 29 - March 16

Tickets - $20 - $42

https://www.troublepuppet.com