Show: The Traveler
Company: Dramaton Theater
Venue: Mad Cow Theatre (corner of Pine St. and Magnolia Ave.)
Show times: Thu Nov 2, 9:15 PM; Fri Nov 3, 7:45 PM;
Tickets: $15
Call: 407-297-8788 - info and tickets

I didn't know what to expect from The Traveler going in to the show. What I found was something very special. New York's Dramaton Theater made themselves famous doing non-verbal theatre, but the Traveler is more straightforward. The play is a collection three short stories about people on literal different walks of life. The first two stories are adapted from previous works, namely Richard Midleton's On the Brighton Road (1911) and William Yeats' Purgatory (1922). The third story was written for Dramaton by Enma Ito of Fantoma Theater Company of Osaka, Japan. The stories really go together to make up a whole in this piece: hats off, kids.

Possibly the most notable part of the show are the puppets. Minimalism only begins to describe the design. The stage is drenched in fog for almost the entire show, with the performers almost representing the shadows of their puppets against the mist. Even when the minimal design of the puppet would have gotten in the way of the storytelling, they dealt with it handily by having a second performer enter and perform the action. I was very impressed with the technique and the seamless way all the pieces fit together technically. I was geeking out as much as I was enjoying the story.

From what I have seen, I would recommed Dramaton to anyone who likes theater or puppetry. This is a wonderfull marriage of the two.