Feral NYC Reviews and Tickets

"'Feral' is at its best when it answers the question of why live cinema is necessary for this story, as opposed to a more traditional film. Watching the performers — as they go under tables, scramble to position the puppets and improvise when technical difficulties arise — is a reminder of why we cling to beauty as the world around us falls apart."
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"The design is charming and careful...Despite the cute round-headed figurines, this show clearly isn’t meant for kids. So why is it so deliberately simplistic...I don’t know. For a British audience, who would find those things too obvious for words, there might be a different thrill here...’Feral’ seems rather hysterical. Despite the omniscience of the puppet techniques, it’s a child’s-eye view of the world.”
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“'Feral' employs an incredibly complex design to convey a simplistic narrative...A more nuanced script might examine decades of austerity policy fortified by Thatcherite indifference toward anyone unwilling...to adapt to a shifting economy...Unfortunately, the highly visual but sparingly verbal form ‘Feral’ takes is ill-equipped to process such complexities. The overall design is impressive, but the story leaves us scratching our heads.”
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"What is especially impressive about 'Feral' is how the original images, filled with optimism, are so quickly replaced by those of ruin...The methodology practiced at Tortoise in a Nutshell doesn't allow for nuance or even much drama...In any case, the sheer creativity of the troupe is sufficient to hold one's attention for the brief, fifty-minute running time.'Feral' is a visually gripping achievement, conjuring up a series of images that are surprisingly hard to shake off."
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“A journey that will take us from spritely whimsy to dark cynicism in just under an hour...It uses barebones techniques...to share its storytelling art with an audience. Other than the camera and projection equipment, the tools are the simplest of ones...While it is definitely interesting to watch the crew working within a tight space to stay on top of things without tripping over one another, a better focused storyline would help to move the experience from documentary exhibition mode to drama.”
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"On reading in a press release that 'Feral' is a 'multimedia' production incorporating puppetry and 'immersive soundscapes,' you would have only a vague idea of the ingenuity and inventiveness of this likable little play-a Scottish production presented as part of the Brits Off Broadway series at 59E59 Theaters."
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"It suffers from this kind of controlling foreshadowing which is hard to ignore in an already slight 50-minute tale...There is skillful artistry in the visual design as well with some fantastic character perspective shots from one building to another filmed with the small handheld cameras...But structurally, the story is largely observational...While watching these artists work feverishly to keep the images flowing and visuals popping, the story suffers from a contrived emotional core."
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"An air of primitive technique masks the great sophistication of the town's remarkably detailed features…The cameras cut from close-ups to pans to zooms to tracking shots. We observe the puppeteers manipulating the lamps to create a panoply of expertly executed effects...Other than Joe's loss of boyhood innocence, the work's thematic points are never clearly expressed…For anyone interested in puppetry done as devised theatre, and less than an hour to spare, definitely worth a look-see."
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"Unique, innovative, and impossible to categorize...’Feral’ is imaginative, particular, and profound if not disconcerting. The creators’ process is complicated but it delivers a simple metaphor of our times in identifiable human terms.”
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