National History Museum – until 30 December
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Dead Puppet Society’s acclaimed production about the voyage of the Beagle has found the perfect home in the Natural History Museum. Entering through The Darwin Centre, and past a booth selling the familiar gruff bearded image familiar to the world, The Wider Earth presents Darwin as a scientific ingenue, with the wonders that he sees as he journeys across the globe sowing the seeds of his great theory of evolution. Bradley Foster gives Darwin just the right amount of brilliance and naivety in a charming performance, making his conflict and friendship with the prickly Captain FitzRoy (Jack Parry-Jones) believable, and the play is book ended by entertaining scenes establishing Darwin’s relationships with his father and Emma Wedgewood (Melissa Vaughan).
The set consists of a rotating block that serves as a range of rock features over which Darwin clambers looking for specimens, and the hull of the Beagle, which the crew cling to in storms. The hollow reverse side is the deck of the ship and other interiors. The speed at which the sets are redressed as it rotates is awesome and it is a brilliant design choice – the only slight down side is that views of the screen are obstructed from at least the first 10 rows of the flat seating area. Using projections, the huge backdrop shows glorious images of stars and ocean skies, and becomes a sketchbook reminiscent of Warhorse, with ink drawings of maps and colourised views of ports of call on the Beagle’s voyage.
The focus of the play is the clash between the idealistic, open minded abolitionist Darwin and the religious views of FitzRoy and missionary Richard Matthews. The play doesn’t shy away from the distasteful colonial views of the era, with lots of debates about the plight of savages before Christian men of the Empire “saved” them. The fate of Jemmy Button (Marcello Cruz), bought by FitzRoy for a brass button and educated before being returned to Tierra del Fuego as a missionary, allows the audience to discover more about FitzRoy’s character, and also allows Parry-Jones to let rip with a powder keg performance. The whole cast give wonderful performances but, in the end, they are upstaged by the BRILLIANT puppets. As Darwin tries to tempt an armadillo with grass, flicks butterflies and finches off his shoulders and feeds giant tortoises – the beauty and purity of the puppets ensures that the audience experiences the awe and wonder that Darwin must have felt. You are transported back to childhood and opening an intricate pop-up book – I wanted to take the platypus home with me.
The glorious puppetry may attract some parents, but a show with puppets isn’t automatically aimed at young children. The NHM’s website says that “The show is suitable for ages 10+. The puppetry and visual elements will appeal to younger people, but some of the scientific content may go over their heads.” It’s not just the science though; the colonial and religious mindsets and arguments will baffle and possibly bore children. Speaking as a primary school teacher, there is a HUGE difference between a child sitting through something and them being engaged, and most children under 12’s experience of this production would probably be “He’s eaten a beetle!… sailors… rocks… can I go to the loo?… shouty bits about god… PUPPETS!!!!!!… more god stuff… and a notebook.”
The play ends with Darwin in a bit of a pickle about the implications of his developing ideas, and lots of knowing lines about it being the work of a lifetime. Perhaps Dead Puppet Society could work on a companion piece about Alfred Russel Wallace next? I’d love to see their version of Wallace’s flying frog!
The Wider Earth takes the audience on a spell-binding voyage of storytelling and scientific discovery – a thrilling introduction to the wonders of the world and the rewards and joy of curiosity and freethinking. This is like watching Monkman and Seagull travel back in time. A fantastic night at the museum for science geeks, history buffs and theatre lovers.