Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Calvin Dean, David Mynne, Rachel Leonard, Jenny Beare.

Musician: Ben Sutcliffe, Zaid Al-Rikabi.

Falling in love is quite possibly the most beautiful, and most heart-breaking emotion, a human being can live through and endure, for some it happens easily, for others it is a long process which can only come about by first finding themselves, discovering their own sense of true-worth, whichever way it happens, love is, in the words of Liverpool’s Ian McNabb, a wonderful colour.

The return of Kneehigh Theatre Company to the Liverpool stage, sees love expressed as the positive outcome after a lifetime of grief has finally been worn down. It is in this discovery of devotion, obsession and the discovery of love in the most unexpected of places that makes their latest theatrical spectacle of FUP a symbol of great theatre, of genuine affection for the story that unfolds, not only for the human element which is graceful and passionate, but also for the colour of white, of down feathers and the craft of puppetry, for Fup is a duck, and the catalyst for young Tiny’s rehabilitation into caring for something again after losing his mother and father at a young age.

There are theatre companies up and down the land that raise the expectations just with a simple announcement of what they are planning to produce next, they raise the hope of theatre and story-telling to come, and then provide with detail, flourish and creativity that brims and boils to the heart’s content. Kneehigh falls into that role with ease, the special bond they have with audiences is palpable, it can be witnessed on the faces of those who fill the auditoriums and spaces provided, and so it is with Fup, a production which even for Kneehigh’s stunning pedigree, is nothing short of magical.

The transplanting of Fup’s original setting from 1880s California to modern day Cornwall adds to the isolation felt by the two main characters, the grandfather, played with grit and prowess by David Mynne, and Calvin Dean’s Tiny, their isolation though is at opposite ends of the spectrum and it is captured fully as Granddaddy Jake enjoys his solitude and Tiny is arguably inhibited by his, and that of the memories of his mother’s passing.

It is though perhaps a strange realisation for the audience that the stage belongs to the imaginative and fruitful way in which the team bring Fup the duck to life, the puppet being perhaps its own master of popularity with the audience and one that understandably resonated with all. As human beings we have the privilege of feeling such empathy, even in the creations of our own imaginations. It is in the outstanding nature of Fup that in the heart of the Cornish soul, such tenderness is to be congratulated.

A show which is in the best traditions of Kneehigh, absolutely ‘andsome!

Ian D. Hall