Tutomaten* (The Toot-o-maton)

Tutomaten* (The Toot-o-maton) is, in the version by Teater Joker, a puppetry production in which the two actors perform all the roles in a classic rarity cabinet sequence.

In the review by critic Mette Moe of the image book Tutomaten, published by Barnebokkritikk.no, the friendship between the fox and the piglet is described as a foundation for a long series of weird ideas and plans, led by the seemingly all-knowing fox and his somewhat more sceptical partner the piglet.

In a universe consisting of the strangest characters; nonsense-makers, radish-gnus, snuffling hens, back-mice and silly gnomes, the fox and the piglet are always ready for new adventures, often adventures of the kind that involve something good to eat or something new to play with.

Most of the projects are initiated as a result of an immediate need, such as when the piglet is attacked by mosquitoes and the two invent a mosquito spray, or when the silly gnome Papp has gotten a conifer cone vacuum cleaner and the fox decides that he needs such a machine to vacuum an old carpet. Often the needs of the friends are central, but in the story Kumatpakkene (literally: The Cow Feed Packets) they need to get to the rescue of their friend the cow, because all her winter food, the cow food packets, are disappearing mysteriously.

In Tutomaten the option for candy is the force behind the project of the fox and the piglet. In a letter from a Western Norwegian aunt the fox get to hear about a new machine dubbed the toot-o-maton, a tooting automaton. In the toot-o-maton one puts bottles, and it toots, the fox tells.

Hence the friends decide to make a toot-o-maton of their own, but rather than meaningless, empty bottles, this machine should be able to receive bottles filled with yellow soda, and soda in other colours, plus chocolate, pretzels, pastries, waffles and new and used bubble gum.

The fox and the piglet energetically starts the work, and the result becomes a toot-o-maton with pretzel claws, bubble gum flap and other refined solutions for those who wants to switch candies for tooting or whistling. Next the fox and the piglet place themselves inside of the toot-o-maton, ready to be showered with everything good in the world.

The characters of the fox and the piglet were in the version by Teater Joker presented as hyperrealist versions of the two drawn characters of the book. Besides the fox and the piglet, the audience met two little nonsense makers, one crow, the silly gnome Papp and the cow. The latter two were made as so-called head masks, puppets covering the face of the actor, who talks through the mask. The rest are traditional puppets managed by the hands.

Supported by: Arts Council Norway, the arts platform called Kunstløftet, The Fund for Performing Artists and Spenn.

Sources:

Teater Joker, teaterjoker.no, 29.11.2010, http://www.teaterjoker.no/Teater_Joker/Aktuelle_produksjoner.html

Nagel, Lisa Marie (09.12.2010). Til slutt spiser alle sjokolade (literally: Eventually everybody eats chocolate). Barnebokkritikk, barnebokkritikk.no, 10.12.2010, http://www.barnebokkritikk.no/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=75

*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.

Nagel, Lisa Marie (09.12.2010). Til slutt spiser alle sjokolade (literally: Eventually everybody eats chocolate). Barnebokkritikk, barnebokkritikk.no, 10.12.2010, http://www.barnebokkritikk.no/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=75:
"Because, as the book Tutomaten* (The Toot-o-maton) both visually and in its text is presented as a horn of plenty; tousled, colourful and with a playful joy of innovation and richness in detail, the theatre version seems to be a little bit less resolved. Admittedly the toot-o-maton built by Teater Joker looks great, and the fox and the piglet are nice to look at: In many ways the production is true to the universe by the book. I still miss the madness, the unpredictable and unplanned aspects of the book.

Teater Joker has made an honest, engaged and serious attempt at creating theatre out of the story of the Toot-o-maton, but I don’t think they have fully succeeded. The acting is not sufficiently precise, the end is not resolved, as all eat the chocolate brought by the cow, and then it is over. The end must be considered in the regard that there was never a conflict to solve, and no new recognition to find neither for fox, nor pig nor audience."

*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.