DoDo Dramatics, “the world’s first zero-waste puppetry organisation”, bring their inaugural production to the Brighton Fringe in digital format. As Deetrius the Great copes with all sorts of peril such as ferocious waves and a rather grumpy Minotaur, the vibe is definitely Pythonesque, with live action rubbing soldiers with puppets and cut out settings.
At just twenty minutes this has the comic chops of a Horrible Histories episode, bringing to life the myths you never knew existed. Rather silly, but certainly showing the signs of a keen and energetic new company, Ancient Antics – Mock the Greek is filmed in the great (if grey) outdoors.
With a panto vibe and a sprinkling of song, the story of this mighty adventurer may be a little underdeveloped, and the editing could be sharper, but it has a certain charm than made me laugh, and its repurposed low-budget props did manage to suggest, somehow, the celebrated relics of the Hellenic World.
These puppets may have lost their marbles (in-joke for museum buffs), but their personalities are brought to life by good movement and voice work. The cast – Katie Fiddaman, Trudi Licence, Ronnie Martin, and Rhodri Mayer – clearly had fun creating and performing this. The videographer is Sumayyah Tree.
Fringe rating: ***
You can stream Ancient Antics – Mock the Greek in the Brighton Fringe until 27 June. Book your ticket here. It is also streaming at the Chichester Fringe on the 18 June – details here.
To find out more about DoDo Dramatics – motto “distinct not extinct” go here.