It’s that time of year again!
Melbourne Fringe is rolling back into venues across the city. However, never did I think I would find myself in a storage closet inside the heritage listed Nicholas Building on Swanston Street. This is by no way a bad thing. If anything, this is exactly what Melbourne Fringe is all about. Creative productions making creative uses of available spaces. This particular show comes from the mind of Abigail Banister-Jones with a return of her award-nominated show, The Story of Cerberus: A Very Good Boy.
I love a good tale of mythology, and even more so, I love a tale about dogs and this production is a combination of both. Told through song and clever shadow-puppetry, The Story of Cerberus: A Very Good Boy is a look into the lore and mythology of the guardian of the underworld, a three-headed dog named Cerberus.
Entering the intimate space, Banister-Jones was sitting in the corner of the room, playing some gentle tunes on a banjo. Wearing a dazzling pair of black-circular-sunglasses and dressed in a long flowing black velvet dress with what I could best describe as fluffy wings in the shape of dog heads, Banister-Jones’ costume is effectively the very good boy himself.
To the left of the room is a keyboard and on the floor is a classic over-head-projector displaying a message of welcome to country. Detailed, displayed on the walls are pieces of artwork and sketches relating to the mythology of Cerberus.
Opening with a song introducing us to Cerberus, I was instantly captivated by Banister-Jones. She has a wonderful subtlety in how she sings. Her songwriting is a beautiful harmony of poetry and storytelling, perfectly matched to the timber in her voice. Banister-Jones is also not shy of reaching for those high notes when the lyrics demand it, hitting them ever so effortlessly. Mind you, this was only the first song of the show, and I was already keen for more.
If the singing and storytelling wasn’t already impressive enough, Banister-Jones’ use of the over-head-projector is something I have not seen before. Yes, we have all seen comedy and other shows based around clever slide-show productions, but I have never seen physical shadow puppetry like this before.
Carefully stacked shapes and figures cut out of paper with coloured cellophane and other opaque pieces, lay next to the projector. Starting with an image of Cerberus himself, complete with three heads and three tails, the shadow is projected to the wall at the rear of the space. There are also intricately detailed depictions of Hades, the gates to the underworld and other mythical characters.
We hear tales of the many interactions that Cerberus has with the characters of Greek Mythology. From Orpheus’ journey to the underworld to locate his beloved Eurydice, to Hercules who effectively convinces Hades to take the very good boy on a “w.a.l.k.” to the land of the living. Each tale is told with a combination of beautiful song and puppetry, and even a few numbers on the keys.
Having lost my dog Jessie to old age, almost 10 years ago now, I am always fond of the memories that we shared and hopefully one day, I may see her again. So, when I heard the tale of Cerberus’ favourite meetings with the beloved pets that have passed on, I was both full of love with the thought that our love pets are enjoying their afterlife, running around with their new best friend Cerberus, but also sad that they are simply waiting at the gates for their humans to find them again. Adding to this was the beautiful delivery from Banister-Jones and my heart was full.
Of course, we all know dogs are a great judge of character, so also hearing that Cerberus would simply send these good dogs and cats to Elysium without a second thought, had me smiling from ear to ear.
Whether you are an admirer of Greek Mythology, stunning vocals and beautiful storytelling, or even just a lover of dogs (and cats too), then this is the show for you. Having missed it at the festival last year, and even a run at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, I am so very grateful that I got the chance to finally catch The Story of Cerberus: A Very Good Boy.
Unfortunately (in a good way), the show’s 6 performance run is completely sold out! I really wish I could tell you to buy tickets, because it is 100% worth the adventure to find this wonderfully obscure venue, and then experience the magic melding of puppets, poetry and song, but you can’t. Maybe there will be an encore show? Fingers crossed!
For those that already have tickets, grab yourself a songbook for $3. It is a wonderful little memento so you can recant how good of a good boy Cerberus is, any time you like. You can even get Banister-Jones to sign it too!
Abigail Banister-Jones’ The Story of Cerberus: A Very Good Boy is stunning, clever, perfect, and the use of the over-head-projector for the puppetry is masterful. This unique brand of storytelling is unmatched, and I was captivated the entire time. And of course, Cerberus is indeed, a very good boy.
For more information, visit:
https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/the-story-of-cerberus-a-very-good-boy
https://www.instagram.com/abi_ban_jo