I previously wrote a blog about my experiences at the Bristol Festival of Puppetry, where I met the infamous Boris & Sergey. Enthralled by their Perilous Escapade, dearly wishing I had known them from their creation, but now an avid follower of the bizarre antics that these characters get up to. When I learnt of their Vaudevillian Christmas Adventure, I had to somehow make a trip to Theatre 503 to see what they would get up to next!
Following Bunraku puppet brothers Boris & Sergey online, their presence in podcasts and videos continue to arouse amusement. Theatre 503 in Battersea, London was another new venue for me, and Boris & Sergey’s Vaudevillian Christmas Adventure proved yet again to be a fantastic outing after the build up provided by their virtual forms on social media.
However random, outrageous and extraordinary their performances might become, these brothers are full of charisma; producing perhaps some of funniest and most action-filled theatre I have ever witnessed, and the speed at which some of their comedy is improvised is also mighty impressive. The entertainment that Boris & Sergey provide, with the help of their puppeteers (whom these featureless leather characters are unnervingly very aware of) have you howling with laughter at their ridiculousness, intensely engaged with their action sequences, and constantly wondering whether they might somehow get you involved in some audience participation!
This adventure in particular was rather special as they revealed the genesis of these “Balkan bad boys”, which will hopefully be included in future exploits so that new audiences can understand the shocking and oddly heartwarming origin to their story.
A truly exceptional performance of Bunraku puppetry! Flabbergast Theatre’s puppet double-act Boris & Sergey come highly recommended (though definitely more adult orientated), I’m not sure you will have seen anything like these guys before. Stunning. TM