Sea Odyssey Giant Spectacular takes over the streets of Liverpool
April 20, 2012 11:09 PM Subscribe
In 1912, ten year old May McMurray wrote a letter to her father saying how much she missed him and ending in "Dada this is my first letter". Her father never saw it, perishing aboard the Titanic two days later. This weekend, French company Royal De Luxe tells her story with the Sea Odyssey Giant Spectacular in the streets of Liverpool, England.
Throughout the weekend, in a dramatized version of May's story, the street theater company will be showcasing the Little Girl Giant and her dog Xolo as they roam the streets of Liverpool, looking for her long lost uncle, a deep-sea diver who for a century has been searching the ocean floor to find his brother and give him a proper burial and now is looking for his niece to return to her the letter that her father never received.
(You may recognize the Little Girl Giant from previous Royal De Luxe productions, including The Sultan's Elephant in London.)
This is not the first time that giant puppets have roamed the streets of Liverpool. In 2008, as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations, French production company La Machine's giant spider La Princesse invaded the city (mefi thread 1 and 2).
(Royal De Luxe previously, and again)
Throughout the weekend, in a dramatized version of May's story, the street theater company will be showcasing the Little Girl Giant and her dog Xolo as they roam the streets of Liverpool, looking for her long lost uncle, a deep-sea diver who for a century has been searching the ocean floor to find his brother and give him a proper burial and now is looking for his niece to return to her the letter that her father never received.
(You may recognize the Little Girl Giant from previous Royal De Luxe productions, including The Sultan's Elephant in London.)
This is not the first time that giant puppets have roamed the streets of Liverpool. In 2008, as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations, French production company La Machine's giant spider La Princesse invaded the city (mefi thread 1 and 2).
(Royal De Luxe previously, and again)
There is something so beautiful about these projects.
so innocent, almost child like.
all the crazy whimsy, the surrealism, to create a fantasy
simply because we can. It helps restore my faith in humanity.
posted by quazichimp at 12:21 AM on April 21, 2012
so innocent, almost child like.
all the crazy whimsy, the surrealism, to create a fantasy
simply because we can. It helps restore my faith in humanity.
posted by quazichimp at 12:21 AM on April 21, 2012
Despite all good intentions, it remains a scientific fact that inverse kinematics can get very big and realistically scary before anyone knows any better.
posted by ShutterBun at 1:02 AM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by ShutterBun at 1:02 AM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
Just makes me wish I lived somewhere and a life where I could actually get access to things like this.
Le sigh...
posted by Samizdata at 6:09 AM on April 21, 2012
Le sigh...
posted by Samizdata at 6:09 AM on April 21, 2012
For those who want to follow along for the rest of the weekend, the Giant Spectacular's facebook page is posting frequent live status update with lots of pictures.
posted by triggerfinger at 6:53 AM on April 21, 2012
posted by triggerfinger at 6:53 AM on April 21, 2012
I wish I had know about this in advance. Last minute train tickets in England cost about 1 billion quid.
posted by srboisvert at 7:37 AM on April 21, 2012
posted by srboisvert at 7:37 AM on April 21, 2012
Access? The rustbelt is full to brimming with disused industrial equipment like solenoids and pneumatic cylinders. Be the change giant animatronic puppeteer you want to see in the world!
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:48 AM on April 21, 2012
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:48 AM on April 21, 2012
Heh. I live just down the road and I couldn't be arsed to go and see it.
Couldn't be bothered to go and see the spiders, either -- though I did catch a glimpse of it stuck to the side of a building on the Thursday or Friday night as I was coming home from London.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:31 AM on April 21, 2012
Couldn't be bothered to go and see the spiders, either -- though I did catch a glimpse of it stuck to the side of a building on the Thursday or Friday night as I was coming home from London.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:31 AM on April 21, 2012
Last minute train tickets in England cost about 1 billion quid.
Actually, sboisvert, Birmingham to Liverpool isn't bad if you make sure to travel via London Midland rather than Virgin Assrape. Off peak return is about £17, even if you buy the day you travel.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:37 AM on April 21, 2012
Actually, sboisvert, Birmingham to Liverpool isn't bad if you make sure to travel via London Midland rather than Virgin Assrape. Off peak return is about £17, even if you buy the day you travel.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:37 AM on April 21, 2012
^^^This is true. I got last minute tickets on the L'pool - B'ham train a few years back to see Crufts and it only costed about £23 or so. The show continues in Liverpool tomorrow!
posted by triggerfinger at 12:57 PM on April 21, 2012
posted by triggerfinger at 12:57 PM on April 21, 2012
For posterity, and following on from the Little Girl Giant (part 1) and uncle (part 2) video links above, here are the final two videos to complete the story:
Part 3 - Little Girl Giant and Giant Uncle are reunited
Part 4 - The girl and her uncle sail away down the Mersey River
posted by triggerfinger at 5:42 PM on April 23, 2012
Part 3 - Little Girl Giant and Giant Uncle are reunited
Part 4 - The girl and her uncle sail away down the Mersey River
posted by triggerfinger at 5:42 PM on April 23, 2012
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posted by mwhybark at 11:30 PM on April 20, 2012