THE GIRL WHO WROTE THE WORLD by Cézanne Tegelberg & Company at Theater aan het Spui in The Hague
Puppets brought to life in a charming tale for young and old
Puppets, in this part of the world at least, have usually been considered something for kids, toys. However, in the Far East puppets, and puppet theatres, are considered an art form and have been for centuries. Czechoslovakia had a strong tradition of puppet theatre in Europe and the permanent puppet Théâtre Toone in Brussels is one of my favourite places.
But in recent years in Western Europe puppets have come of age and are now taken seriously and, in one form or another, are included in drama and many other types of theatre, especially to represent animals, usually dogs. I think the tipping point was the amazing and life-like puppets in War Horse by Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa in 2007. Now, that’s not to say that children are excluded from puppet shows, it means that adults can now feel included and that there is something there for them.
Cézanne Tegelberg & Company’s The Girl Who Wrote the World adds another dimension. Ms Tegelberg, who graduated from the Contemporary Theatre Course at East15 Acting School in London in 2008, has created a totally immersive puppet theatre. The audience, in small groups and wearing headphones broadcasting the text/music in the language of their choice, is guided through an ever-changing ethereal labyrinth, rather like Alice’s journey in Wonderland, encountering myriad scenes and meeting various colourful characters.
In the first tableau we meet Imi, a solitary mute girl who, in the mirror, sees a grey-haired old lady who gives her a book with blank pages. The empty book unlocks the door and Imi, through writing, sets off on a voyage of discovery while never leaving her lonely attic room. She meets and befriends a wolf, encounters a witch-like old lady and has to cope with a roaring river with shadows cast by the ever-present moon. Eventually the pages of her book are full and she reaches the end of her journey of enlightenment.
I guess it’s about the liberating properties of the book, an environment with no boundaries or limitations. It is, in the words of Cézanne Tegelberg, “a coming-of-age adventure about choosing your own path, about the silence between the words, about friendship and learning to let go”.
The production is quite lavish and ambitious with excellent lighting to create the mysterious though never threatening milieu. The décor is complex though often naive and sometimes crude, but always atmospheric and befitting the story. There are six “zones” or tableaux through which the audience is led and the show lasts about half an hour. Although very much a play for children (although there were hardly any in evidence when we were there) it will charm and captivate people of all ages. It is always quite dark and the pipe-smoking, real-life not-a-puppet witch is quite scary, as is the Fantomas-like face that appears momentarily though a poster on the wall, but nothing that a child with imagination or well-adjusted adult will not be able to cope with.
This is very much an ensemble piece, with the puppeteers always in full view, and the complex performance runs like clockwork. All members of Cézanne Tegelberg’s Company must take credit for this hugely satisfying show with many of them doubling-up and having more than one function. If you like puppets, if you like simple stories beautifully told and are prepared to let yourself be immersed in, and carried along with Imi’s voyage of discovery, the The Girl Who Wrote the World is a show you will not want to miss. Michael Hasted 14th December 2025