THE BONES OF GREAT THEATER
Wakka Wakka, the Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning theater company, returns with Dead as a Dodo, a surreal and darkly humorous production at the Baruch Performing Arts Center as part of Under the Radar. Their Norwegian-American penchant for irony—and their surreal imagination—are at the heart of a new unpredictable play, crafting a world where even death refuses to be the final act.
Set in a barren wasteland, the play revolves around two unlikely companions: the skeletal remains of a boy and a silent, female dodo—the avian emblem of extinction. Though voiceless, the dodo speaks volumes through movement, emotion, and the extraordinary skill of the puppeteers, who remain eerily invisible beneath their sparkly black capes. Their artistry is nothing short of breathtaking, giving life to the lifeless with an astonishing depth of feeling. The chemistry between the ensemble is palpable, elevating the production into something both intimate and profound.
The plot of this musical odyssey is bizarre: the boy and the dodo are friends who are constantly digging for bones because the boy is missing an arm and a leg, and the dodo could use new ones since their bones deteriorate. But the dark underworld they live in is ruled by a mean Bone King who has a nasty daughter, the Bone Princess. They both hoard bones and make our heroes’ lives impossible until the dodo grows a feather, the only sign of life in the gloomy underworld.
Unexpectedly, they set off on a journey to reach the world of the living. To do so, they must cross the River Styx, where they encounter Charon—the boatman who ferries souls across—portrayed as a comically eccentric Venetian gondolier. Along the way, they face an array of fantastical creatures and challenges, while the dodo continues to sprout feathers, a clear sign of her return to life. The adventure culminates in a delightful finale that blends humor with heartfelt emotion—one best experienced firsthand, so I’ll leave the details a mystery.
Cleverly written by Gwendolyn Warnock & Kirjan Waage, who also designed the set and costumes, Dead as a Dodo has the right amount of absurdity, irreverence, slapstick, and existential reflections on friendship and survival. The set design gives the play an almost nightmare-like quality, dark, cavernous; the lighting, by Daphne Agosin, and Erato Tzavara‘s projections on string curtains give a 3D feel to the set, adding to the sinister fairy-tale tone and giving the play its otherworldly ambiance. Thor Gunnar Thorvaldson’s songs are catchy and sweet, and the puppets, designed and constructed by Waage, are adorable rather than creepy, making it easy to connect with them emotionally.
The ensemble, however, is what truly left me in awe: Alexandra Bråss, Dorothy James, Andy Manjuck, Hanna Magrete Muir, Sigurd Rosenberg, Peter Russo, Marie Skogvang-Stork, Anna Soland, Kirjan Waage, Olivia Zerphy, and Lei Lei Bavoil all deserve the highest praise. Wakka Wakka’s mission to push the boundaries of imagination with bold, unique, and unpredictable works shines brightly in Dead as a Dodo. This production is a true testament to their creative vision, excelling on all three fronts.
Wakka Wakka’s Dead as a Dodo is an unpredictable, visually striking, and deeply resonant piece that lingers long after the final blackout—a haunting meditation on loss, resilience, and the echoes of the past.
photos by Richard Termine
Dead as a Dodo
Wakka Wakka
Baruch PAC, 55 Lexington Ave (enter on 25th between Lexington and Third)
and in partnership with the 2025 Under The Radar Festival
80 minutes no intermission
Tues-Sat at 7; Sat & Sun at 3
ends on February 9, 2025
for tickets ($25-$55), visit Baruch PAC
