Reviewed by Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move

You will never look at Satan the same.  He is part origin, part change, part prankster, part evil.  Of all the monikers accorded the Devil, in this adaptation of the Dark One, he is no less a brilliant reasoner giving explanation to his very existence and in fact, so calm and likable, one cannot help but be swayed by his argument sans any manipulation.  In this conversation about himself, he is very much partial to the truth.

Exquisite puppetry beginning with an opening classic favorite of Punch and Judy which turns into a Punch and Devil battle, Punch being triumphant, creator, director, and puppeteer Robin Walsh opens a portal and a forum for Satan to directly speak with the audience.

“Grace appears most purely in that human form which either has no consciousness or an infinite consciousness…And who, or what, has had and lost more grace than Satan?”

Incredibly crafted, the text of The Devil You Say is compiled by existing words, sayings and dialogues attributed to Satan from the 1400s to the 1990s, and have been interpreted from playwright Yvonne Mitchell’s solo piece Speak of the Devil.  The Devil, the puppet, is extraordinary and so life-like as to mesmerize.

I got to see this show at midnight on Friday evening this past weekend.  What a mysterious captivating treat!

The Devil You Say is a one-act puppet soliloquy, directed and performed by Robin Walsh and Adrian Rose Leonard (puppeteer). Jen Simone is the violinst and Kila Packett is the Voice of the Devil.

Highly recommended

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