It’s Bill’s birthday. The bunting is up, the crudités are chopped and the booze – so much booze – sloshes in the punchbowl. But as he pours himself another glass and listens for the doorbell, it seems Bill will be celebrating this one alone. A Beckettian sense of dread quickly pervades this entertaining hour of wordless puppetry supported by the Jim Henson Foundation. You could call it Waiting for Gonzo.
Bushily moustachioed, his caterpillar eyebrows raised in astonishment or despair, our host is controlled by puppeteers Dorothy James and Andy Manjuck, the show’s co-creators. They achieve a portrayal that is tender and goofy, with Manjuck’s often beady expression conveying the angst of the eyeball-free Bill whose papier-mache head evokes an avuncular version of Tim Burton’s Jack Skellington. The duo each control one of Bill’s arms and, while he only has an upper torso, create a characterful gait as he potters around.
