Karagiozis Exposed

Karagiozis is the hunch-backed, perpetually poor character of Greek folklore exposed here by Cypriot puppeteers Open Arts in order to blend the borders between art and life, theatre and audience. In a Pinocchio-like manner, the somewhat erratically told tale of Alexander the Great and the Accursed Snake is curtailed by Karagiozis´ sudden ejection from the shadows into real life.

From before the show starts however, borders are blurred as the puppet master (Antonis Tsiotsiopoulos) stands on stage, puppet casually on his shoulder before disappearing behind the intricate sails that create the shadow theatre. The puppets are guided by a single pole for the body, and in Karagiozis´s case another for his long arm, but the range of movement bestowed on these hinged, one dimensional characters belies the simplicity of the manipulating device.

Barthélémy Meridjen as the French-speaking Karagiozis-made-human has astounding physical presence and dominates the stage – and at times the audience – with his fledgling leaps and bounds and endless curiosity at this brave new world around him. Impressive stage design and the stellar abilities of the live musicians make this a visual feast, a musical delight and a supremely energetic not to mention ingenious spectacle.