“Tales from our Revolution” is a finely crafted puppet show that celebrates the power of ordinary people to rise up and take a stand against authoritarian dictatorships. Inspired by the Portuguese Carnation Revolution, a bloodless coup which took place in April 1974, the show uses the words and music of prominent Portuguese musicians, José Afonso and José Mário Branco. Afonso’s song “Grândola, Vila Morena” is particularly significant as it was used as the signal for the revolution to begin when it was played on public radio.
Newcastle-based ‘Made by Racoons’ theatre company are well known for their large-scale walkabout puppets but this show uses small hand-operated stick puppets on a table-top, concentrating our attention on fine details. Presenting the play at Alphabetti theatre, it is one of many Newcastle Fringe events to discover.
Review
We are invited to follow the daily routine of a puppet figure who lives under the watchful eyes of the dictator Salazar in a country where certain books and songs are banned due to their left wing political ideology.
But the words of exiled and jailed poets cannot be silenced. They are carried on the wind like birds or butterflies, reaching the ears of those who long for change.
“Inside of me there is a restlessness. Something needs to happen. There’s something I should do, something I should understand, something I should start. I don’t know what it is yet. But I know when I do it… It will be beautiful.”
The appearance of a book with a red jacket creates excitement, but carelessness risks imprisonment and we watch as our little puppet friend is deprived of liberty and locked away for reading seditious material. However, the revolution is unstoppable as more and more people come out onto the streets, releasing political prisoners and placing carnations in the barrels of guns. This actually happened.
Melodeon player Frankie Insley provides a continuous atmospheric score throughout the hour-long puppet performance, playing tunes adapted from the melodies of the Portuguese revolutionaries.
Commemorating brave resistance
Puppeteer Jo Feijó dedicates the show to their mother and all the other ordinary people whose individual and collective acts of resistance helped to topple the Salazar regime. It is a parable for our troubled times and a reminder that we all have agency no matter how hopeless we might feel.
Julie Ward attended Tales from our revolution at Alphabetti Theatre.
More Newcastle Fringe reviews
In case you’re interested in learning more about other Fringe events, you can find a list of some of our other reviews below:
‘I love my job’ at the Newgate Social
Katie Doherty and the Navigators at Alphabetti
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