Paris Fringe 2026
Bukowski
Yerevan State Puppet Theater
Genre: Biographical Drama, International, Puppetry
Venue: Ground Control
Festival: Paris Fringe
Low Down
Il est né dans un foyer avare de mots doux mais prodigue en leçons brutales. Ce qui a façonné Charles Bukowski, ce n’est pas l’éducation reçue, mais son exact opposé : une enfance violente, les poings d’un père, la solitude d’un garçon qui n’a jamais vraiment trouvé sa place. La pièce retrace cette existence, en particulier ses années tumultueuses.
Translation:
He was born into a home sparing with words of affection but lavish with brutal lessons. What shaped Charles Bukowski was not the upbringing he received, but its exact opposite: a violent childhood, a father’s fists, and the loneliness of a boy who never truly found his place. The play chronicles this life, focusing in particular on his tumultuous years.
Review
The Yerevan State Puppet Theater from Armenia present Bukowski, a dark story about the well known German-American poet and novelist, Charles Bukowski. A very interesting set, one actor and a puppeteer perform this story, bringing Bukowski to life as a puppet from a baby to an adult. The actor plays Bukowski’s father and also is a narrator (spoken in Armenian and German).
The story vividly shows the joy at the birth of Charles Bukowski by his parents, and how he grew up with a dominating father. The puppet character of Charles is simple and very effective – a beautifully designed face mask with the puppeteer’s own hands and feet showing from a shirt. As the puppet grows, the puppet’s legs grow, too! A lovely scene is when the father holds his young son’s hand and proudly walks with down the road together. This well crafted scene is created by the actor, the puppeteer and the puppet working together in a filmic theatrical way, which is fascinating.
To have free hands for the puppet’s physical gestures, the puppeteer holds the mask of the puppet face by a rod in her mouth – or fingers of one hand (when speaking in English). Charles develops the bad habits of his father, mainly alcohol. As scenes in the story change the central stage box and table of the set transform slickly and imaginatively into several locations to add dimension to the story.
Projections of additional imagery on the back wall and a creative moody lighting design add to the murky atmosphere of this household. Charles becomes a young adult and is gifted a typewriter, so he types away creating poetry, stories and novels.
A selection of upbeat music sets the tone throughout the story starting with a melodic lullaby when Charles is born. Throughout the show music plays at certain times to accompany or amplify the puppet character’s circumstances.
This multimedia show is a very complete show and is professionally designed and performed. A delicate balance is held in the majority of the story to show the truth about Bukowski’s early life with a mix of joy as well as sadness, but suddenly things break loose with Linda! The final scene of black and white video clips projected on the back wall are poignant and tie everything together. This is an inspired and compelling storytelling of Charles Bukowski’s life told by a cast of two and a memorable puppet! Go and see it!
