Alvin Sputnik: A ‘beautifully simple’ play
A “BEAUTIFULLY simple and unassuming” story of love and loss — with a ukulele and some bubbles throw in for good measure — is coming to Riverside Theatres as part of the Spot On Children’s Festival.
Parramatta
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A “beautifully simple and unassuming” story of love and loss — with a ukulele and some bubbles throw in for good measure — is coming to Parramatta.
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer will be staged at Riverside Theatres from October 11-13 as part of the Spot On Children’s Festival.
Sam Longley has played the role of Alvin for four years and the magic of the show still resonates with him.
“It’s so beautifully simple and unassuming and magical, it makes adults cry and laugh and kids giggle,” he said.
He is one of three Alvins who bring the magic of the show to audiences around the world, from Japan to the United States.
“I think I’ve played 11 countries now, and some of them multiple times, and all audiences of all ages, of all nationalities connect with it,” Longley said.
“It’s amazing — we’ve had people come back several different times.”
Although the show was originally designed for adults, its use of puppetry and technology has continued to engage young audiences.
“It’s told through puppets and animation so kids see the puppets and animation and adults see this incredible story of loss and love,” Longley said.
The show was created by Tim Watts and debuted in Perth in 2009, going on to win numerous awards including at the Adelaide, New York, Auckland and Dublin Fringes.
“Tim created a story that resonated with him, and he’s a very open, wonderful kind of guy so it has all that innocence and heart that children found amazing,” Longley said.
In the play, after the death of his wife Alvin accepts a mission to journey to the depths of the ocean to find a new place for humans to live following rising seas.
Longley said the play was fun and poignant at the same time.
Along with themes of loss and love, there are bubbles and a ukulele and a whale the glows in the dark and disco balls.
It is in the truest sense of the word a one man show; Longley is the sole person on stage and handles the puppeetering along with all the technical aspects.
“Not only am I singing the song, I’m then pushing the button to change the animation and then I’m moving the set and then I’m puppeetering,” he said.
Longley had to learn a lot of new skills for the show including the power of puppetry.
“The joy of puppetry is bringing something inanimate like a bedsheet and piece of foam and having the audience invest so much into it that they see a woman dying,” he said.
■ The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer joins a range of theatre, music, film and activities for the seventh annual Spot On Children’s Festival, running from October 9-13 at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta.