Review: A casa da Babá by Brazilian Company Sobrevento

This beautiful piece cleverly fuses the intricate artistry of chinese shadow puppetry with the frenetic energy of Brazilian Carnival. Two years in development, the craft of these talented puppeteers shines through from beginning to end. Based on the short story  Nurse Lugton’s Curtain  written by Virginia Woolf , ‘A Cortina Da Baba’ is a beautifully told children’s story, but not just for kids it seems as, I sat rapt in complete awe at the magical ability these talented puppeteers seem to possess.

A dream-like world waits patiently while Babá sews. As she dozes in the lamplight, the animals behind the curtain slowly awaken and begin their magical journey towards the town of Millamarchmantopolis.
This captivating production grabs you from the moment the first shadow appears and has you suckered by the mystery and bright colours until the lights go down.

Founded in 1986, multi-award-winning Sao Paulo-based Sobrevento is internationally recognised as one of Brazil’s most important puppetry companies and rightly so if “A Cortina Da Baba’ is anything to go by. I look forward to seeing more from this exciting company.