If you’ve ever wondered what humanity looks like from an outsider’s perspective, Alice Canton presents Orangutan, a recreation of some of the world’s most pivotal moments as seen through the eyes of a, well, you know, an orangutan.
The narrator, an orangutan native to the South East Asian rainforest of Borneo, watches on as questions of deforestation, post-war trauma, and mining in the Asia Pacific threaten not only the humans responsible, but the lives of those who hold no accountability for the state of the world, yet are living in a rapidly reducing rainforest that is soon to be nothing more than an industrial complex.
Written and performed by Alice Canton, the show is a collection of personal memories and ancestor’s tales, retold in chronological order to create a sort of fast-forwarded presentation of our own history. The show brings up not only questions about the morality of our past decisions, but of the decisions still being made and their future consequences.
It’s a tragic tale, and a hard-hitting one sure to force a bit of self-reflection. Told through intricate Balinese masks and puppetry, the talented craftwork in the play also puts an artistic spin on an otherwise documentary-like narrative.