The Crocodile
Bristol Old Vic, Weston Studio
An absurdist political satire about a man who is eaten alive by a crocodile. The Crocodile was set within a Victorian zoo and explored celebrity culture and capitalism in the internet age.
Centred around a teeth-lined circus podium, the set transformed from zoo to police office to French restaurant before returning to the media circus of the zoo. Green cage bars doubled as interchangeable signposts, creating a playful and porous space that supported the fast-paced comedy... while a 7 metre long tail remained on stage throughout!
credits
Director: Inge Vera Lipsius
Set & Costume Designer: Mima Jupp
Writer: Tom Basden
Photographer: Ed Felton
“Mima Jupp’s design complements this with a playful collision of worlds: Victorian costume sits alongside signage that morphs into contemporary branding, the zoo reframed as something uncomfortably close to a corporate display. The crocodile itself is a carefully judged creation, ridiculous enough to provoke laughter, but with just enough presence to hold its own as the central image.”
— Kris Hallett, Life as Theatre