“My backstory—I was a box,” says the gravel-voiced host of Blind Summit’s The Table. And yes, there’s the telltale look of brown corrugated to his big, multiplaned head, though the rest of him appears to be made of cotton-stuffed cloth. Standing about two feet tall and operated by three London-based puppeteers, he’s supposed to be performing a piece about the final hours of Moses on Mount Nebo. He’s a garrulous sort, though, and so we get vast digressions, voiced by Blind Summit cofounder Mark Down: A disquisition, for instance, on the merits of the table that defines his world. Peculiar sexual boasts. (“I can change all my parts. Oh, yes, ladies, all my parts.”) A tour of his imaginary garden. A look at his fitness regimen. A glimpse of his dancing technique. But most particularly, a fascinating, very funny, ultimately poetic lecture on the nature of puppetry. That is, as it turns out, on being.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Through 10/27: Tue-Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, Sun 3 PM Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier 800 E. Grand 312-595-5600chicagoshakes.com $20-$35
