The Under the Radar Festival Theatre Review: Wakka Wakka’s Dead as a Dodo

By Ross

In the shimmering firefly darkness, no bones have been left behind for these two lovely scavengers and friends to find. They hope to unearth a few, to help rebuild and return to the land of the living. “Oh, death!”, we are told with compelling compassion, as we join these two bony creatures bond most magically. It’s a fascinating and brilliant journey, with something wonderful and genius coming alive on that dark stage, and it’s all thanks to the genius creativity of the Drama Desk and Obie award-winning international theatre company, Wakka Wakka (Made in China), and their captivating cast of puppets. Presented in 80 intermissionless minutes at the Baruch PAC, with support from The Jim Henson Foundation, Dead as a Dodo dynamically and magically swims forward inside the compassionate themes of love, care, and determined friendship. It’s magnificently created, diving down strong, wise, and emotionally deep into mesmerizing moments of pure humanity and humility. 

“Everything is dead now”, we are told, but two skeletal companions; a dodo and a boy who’s missing a few pieces, look out for one another as they search and dig for fresh bones for the skeleton boy. They sing lovingly and joyfully of friendship and compassion, as they witness the deterioration of their skeleton forms, hoping against all hope to find the missing pieces that will make the boy whole again. Written and directed within clever formulations by Gwendolyn Warnock and puppet designer Kirjan Waage, with collaborative help from the ensemble (Sigurd Axelsen Rosenberg, Alexandra Bråss, Dorothy James, Andy Manjuck, Hanna Muir, Peter Russo, Anna Serine Soland, Marie Skogvang Stork), the boy leads us through, bravely, but frightened by the idea of disappearing forever if he doesn’t replace the limbs that he has lost, but their friendship remains true and strong regardless of how doomed they feel. And the feeling enters into our collective soul, and we can’t help but lean into the action, and root for the two to come out on top.

And then something peculiar, marvelous, and spectacular happens. The dodo begins to sprout some feathers, a few at a time, here and there, causing a ripple effect across the whole underground order of the dead, threatening the reign of the King of Bones and his faithful daughter. Transformation is not supposed to happen down there by the fiery river of Styx. Feathers, we are told, do not belong here. But the feathers continue to grow on the surprised dodo, forcing the two friends to flee as chaos and fear of an upheaval erupts. Fighting hard against the odds and the status quo of the rock and roll realm of the dead, an epic survivalist battle is ignited as the two try their best to remain together as they, and we, learn the value and strength of their friendship. They must “go down to go up“, they are told, that leads to the touching finale, where our hearts are simultaneously broken and reborn as they bridge the barriers between life and death with love and connection.

Unleashing stunning visuals of honesty and compassion, with the strong design work by Thor Gunnar Thorvaldson (original music + sound), Jan Erik Skyarb (light design), and Erato Tzavara (video design), the puppetry is hypnotic and delightful, infused with humor and the ultimate power and beauty of true friendship. Dead as a Dodo is a beautifully rendered musical odyssey filled to overflowing with emotion and energy. It is jammed with tension around the ideas of survival and transformation and delivers a sense of beauty at the end of it all. This majestic work of art, which will remind you of Jim Henson’s expertise, runs Jan 8 – Feb 9, 2025, at Baruch PAC (55 Lexington Ave, Manhattan) as part of the 2025 Under the Radar Festival. Wakka Wakka’s newest creation, Dead as a Dodo, is gorgeously compassionate and brilliantly heartfelt, and should not be overlooked or missed.