I know that all of you have seen Pinocchio, and that I think this article is somewhat similar to it. The Wonderboy -- a puppet 3 feet tall, give or take an inch -- gazed longingly out an oversized window onstage at Irvine’s Barclay Theatre and narrated his observations to the audience Friday night.
The out-of-doors looked so beautiful, he recounted dreamily, he wanted to put a “frame” around it. He ached to venture there, he admitted, but he saw dire consequences to it. So he remained a physical and emotional shut-in, framed by his own paralyzing fear.
It is this touchstone search for love and belonging that San Francisco choreographer Joe Goode chronicles in “Wonderboy,” a 2008 dance-theater piece, created in collaboration with avant-garde puppeteer Basil Twist. The Barclay presented Joe Goode Performance Group in an intermission-less, 70-minute program, which also included an excerpt from Goode’s 1996 full-evening work, “Maverick Strain.”
Goode’s award-winning contemporary dances typically unfurl in digressive, collage-like scenes. “Wonderboy” proceeded along a more direct path. Goode’s six dancers took turns manipulating Twist’s innocent-looking, white-faced puppet and narrating the figure’s thoughts in a squeaky or electronically manipulated voice.
In Goode’s story, Wonderboy’s fears proved justified; his journey was not without peril. Through Goode’s effective stew of movement and dialogue, the dancers portrayed parents arguing violently and cheerleaders taunting Wonderboy. One cross-dressing cheerleader tried to fend off a date rape.
But Wonderboy eventually did find companionship. He abandoned his post at the window and actually danced with a newfound friend (Andrew Ward) -- an enchanting duet requiring many hands and complex plotting. The piece concluded with his soaring up the aisles, held aloft with rods.
Composers Carla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi crafted a (recorded) score of resonant minor tonal colors. There were moments of sensuality, comedy and
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