Sometimes you sit in an auditorium and wonder: how could you possibly come up with this? Sometimes, in a good way. The Back Pack bring a perfectly original concept of performance. Self-described as “live-action cartoon” on the Fringe website, they remove pages from notebooks and lift sheets taped together to reveal a whole two-dimensional world that complements theirs. The company stretches the boundaries of what theatre can be.
Their mise-en-scène looks more like child’s play, entirely removed from reality, than any kind of traditional performing art. Unserious and playful, this is a totally unexpected show. From flat dinner parties to sporting competitions, all the way through horse racing, seances, synchronised swimming, and even a brief history of civilisation, their vignettes may be disjointed, but they’re irresistibly fascinating.
As they begin to rip off each piece of paper from their stacks, we find ourselves charmed into the possibility of what’s next. Their creative direction is exquisitely sophisticated as they toy with form and delivery. The logical junctures between the various scenes are either completely nonexistent or incredibly obscure, but the flow remains amusing and quirky throughout.
They found an idiosyncratic and wholly unique visual language that’s authentic and exceptionally cool. This project is inventive, imaginative, and will appeal to audiences across an extensive age range through enchanting, unconventional storytelling and plenty of whimsy. It’s definitely something you won’t see anywhere else any time soon — potentially, simply because the production seems like a logistical nightmare. Their stationery expenses must be off the roof.
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