Show: DUNGEON
By Hit the Lights! Theater Co.
Created by Hit the Lights! Theater Co.
Playing at Jungle Theater
Physical theater/Clowning, Puppetry, Sci-fi/Mystery/Horror, First-time Minnesota Fringe Festival producer, Actors' Equity participants, National/international company
A young man falls into the unknown to rescue the thing he holds most dear. Inspired by kabuki, video games, horror movies, and pixar shorts, DUNGEON builds a world where darkness speaks louder than the light.
I should say, the audience LOVED this show. LOVED it. Me? Not so much. Although the use of puppetry and shadow work was inventive, this show felt like a rough draft. The story was pretty weak, the visuals not quite matching up as intended, and some genuinely confusing moments. What the heck was that lantern thing? Some ingenious ideas to be sure, and I'm intrigued by their work, but it didn't come together for me. I kept thinking of Davey Steinman and his show Basement Creatures, and how well it handled so much of the same material. Note to self: What's Davey Steinman doing these days?