The Secret Life of Suitcases

Monkey Baa consistently brings fun and fantasy to the school holidays – and this production has come all the way from the Edinburgh Festival via London and Chicago. Puppeteers Ailie and Sam have literally flown their set of lights and multiple suitcases through the sky and across the sea just like their puppet hero Larry is in this quirky and beautifully contrived performance about taking a little time to dream …

You see, Larry’s a pretty motivated character. He works in an office and loves his job. He’s always busy, tidying, sorting, filing, keeping everything in order. “I’m very busy,” he intones in his deep voice. He hasn’t time for any frivolity, not even a coffee break, until one day a suitcase is delivered – addressed to him. It’s no ordinary suitcase! It won’t be ignored.

And when Larry gives in to it, it takes him out of the office on wonderful journeys. He sails on the ocean, sits on a tropical beach (“Erg! Sand!”), and zooms in a rocket into space where he meets the furry Quarks … and learns about the importance of twinkling and love and hugs before returning to the office and agreeing to go out for lunch and “eat spaghetti …. On the beach!”

There is much for kids to laugh at in this production. They respond to Larry’s voice: Alia, aged 10: “Normal words in Larry’s strange voice sounded funny and everyone laughed”; and all the many intricacies that make his journey so fantastical: “The unexpected changes of scenery shown by the puppeteers changing their shirts was interesting,” (Alia again). I loved the fact that, in the initial scenes the puppeteers wore the same striped business suits as Larry himself!

There is also much to think about (for adults as well as kids): work, leisure, relationships, and physics (Are Quarks really little furry things in space? Check it out!). Drama students too can marvel at the discipline, organisation and timing needed to work in such tightly manoeuvred operations.

This is a lovely, different, entertaining piece of very well executed theatre that has appeal across generations. As Larry himself might say: “D … for Delightful.”

Carol Wimmer