REVIEW: Once Upon A World, JW3 – Jewish News

Most of us have seen our fair share of puppet shows, from the fairground fun of Punch and Judy to the slick west end performances of The Lion King. Award-winning Israeli puppet company The Train Theater deserves a rightful place amongst these alumni.

Created by Aviv Horovitz, who performs alongside fellow dancer Yuval Finkelstein, Once Upon a World brings us a new spin on puppetry, delivered in the most special way. It leaves audiences thinking deeply about the world and possibly even a little tearful, especially if you are an animal lover (or a peri-menopausal woman).

I was fortunate enough to catch the final show of the UK debut at JW3 (currently the only UK venue taking Israeli companies) and my knees hurt just watching the performers’ mesmerising fluidity of this simplistic yet visually gorgeous concept.

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The show follows a mischievous little penguin on his world travels back to Antarctica, giving us lots of laughs plus some sadness as he encounters the many magnificent creatures we live amongst, including crocodiles, elephants and flamingos. Whilst the set and costumes were minimalistic, the precision with which the dancers move around the space created a wonderful believability regardless of audience age.

The final underlying message of “heart – love – world” packs a powerful punch with a clear and very moving visual representation of the damage we are collectively doing to our world and the wildlife within it. The current run might be over but it’s well worth keeping your eyes open for future dates to see this wonderful show.

For more information visit traintheatre.co.il