A Day In November @ Zoo Southside

A Day in November is a simple story but a far-reaching one. The Bulgarian puppeteer Rumen Gavanozov brings his Old Man puppet to life, as we follow Old Man’s last day on earth. Gavanozov seems to be Death himself, gently calling Old Man to continue his story and move on.

The relationship between puppet and master is like one of aging father and caring, yet exasperated son; Gavanozov’s interaction with Old Man is very natural, his voice and facial expressions smoothly flowing between himself and Old Man. His performance is mesmerising, I had to tear my eyes from the expressions on Gavanozov’s face to Old Man and back again, each time making a painful decision.

What surprised me most was the way that Gavanozov portrayed Old Man not simply through voice and manipulation of the puppet, but used his own face to express Old Man, it felt as if they were two different beings and Gavanozov was empathetically channelling Old Man’s emotions.  Age itself was the real puppet-master, controlling the actions of the puppet and, seemingly, the puppeteer, as he repeatedly fell asleep and frustrated the puppeteer through his forgetfulness.

Due to this memory loss, the Old Man perpetually explores his world anew, making his last day on earth resemble his first, as he questions what objects are, misnames them, forgets where his precious pickled cucumbers are and even forget his own name.

The piece is not melodramatic or tragic, but it is poignant. A Day in November is full of simple humour; Old Man’s liveliness and cheekiness keeps the piece light, and this combines with the physical fragility of the puppet to make Old Man inspire affection.