THE ABSOLUT FRINGE 2011 has over 100 shows playing out across Dublin until 25 September. Each day, TheJournal.ie will bring you our readers’ reviews of the pick of the crop and everything in between. You’ll get the chance to get in on the act yourself with our daily reader review tickets giveaway!

Today’s review:

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer

(Perth Theatre Company/Weeping Spoon Productions/Tim Watts; Project Arts Centre)

John Buckley’s review: A single circle of light, the sound of a mandolin and a magic white board; Alvin Sputnik has arrived to take us on a journey we will not forget in a hurry. Alvin has been taking the world by storm. Awards abound from New York to Auckland. Many other Fringe Fests have also heaped high praise on Tim Watts’ riveting tale.

The story of our hero draws you in to moments of uncontrollable laughter to depths of despair. Watt’s work is so enthralling you will not want the 45 minutes to end. Alvin is a regular guy, he falls in love and cruelly has that love taken from him. The mixture of animation, so beautiful in its simplicity; original haunting tunes from Watts’ enchanting vocal and puppetry (yes I did say puppetry) puts this production in a realm this reviewer has never been.

The audience find themselves transported back to the age of 12. With imaginations running wild we find the polar ice caps have melted and there are only a few survivors, nothing has worked to save man-kind, we need a hero. It’s you!!! Alvin Sputnik draws us to our childhoods, makes us think what we would do for love and presents it to us in a way that brings us back to our naive imaginations and ideals.

The production really is outstanding and one of a kind.

In three words? Puppetry. Imagination. Tunes.

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