Packrat: The Quest por la Abundancia

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By: Karen Karin Rosenberg

Do we want to be led to a utopia full of shiny objects or can we find abundance at home, in friendship and family? Symbolically, and at times explicitly, Concrete Temple Theatre explores this ever-timely question in Packrat: The Quest por la Abundancia, an inventive parable written and directed by Renee Philippi with puppetry, projections, and sets designed by Carlo Adinolfi. By offering well-paced visual and auditory surprises, it keeps viewers’ attention for over an hour, which is no small feat.

This is not the first production of Concrete Temple Theatre to star a puppet named Bud, an all-too-human packrat with a weakness for our possessions, especially spoons. In February 2020, TheaterScene‘s Darryl Reilly gave a rave review to an earlier production at Dixon Place, entitled simply Packrat, which was also written and directed by Philippi and designed by Adinolfi.

Concrete Temple Theatre now returns to the same space with Packrat: The Quest por la Abundancia, the result of a collaboration with Contenidos Artísticos, which fosters cultural exchanges between Mexico and the U.S. The show is bilingual, with translations in projections, but since mostly English is spoken, those who want Spanish will have more supertitles to read. “Inspired by our time spent with the Comcáac people” is how the printed program describes the new production, and it would be great to know more about what was shared by that indigenous people of Northern Mexico: motifs, stories, values or something else?

In the new play, Bud and his animal friends face a devastating flood, scary coyotes, piggish peccaries and a leadership crisis at least as dramatic as all the above. Distracted by his hoarding, Bud exposes the valley animals whom he loves to mortal danger. Realizing he has failed them, he asks a giant domesticated rabbit named Especial to take them to their ancestors and old ways. It’s an unlikely choice for a guide. Life in a cage has cut Especial off from his tribe. He longs to return to the safety of a zoo. Yet he helps others believe that all can learn together to live differently.

Vera Beren, the narrator as well as the sound engineer, brings humor and pathos to this picaresque story. But the main attraction is six excellent puppeteers, including Adinolfi, who manipulate a marvelous variety of constructions. The pacing and precision of their dance-like movements are riveting. Well-lit by Eric Nightengale and discreetly costumed by Laura Anderson Barbata, these men and women are visible without overshadowing their puppets. (One recommendation for staging: too often, a puppet head is shaken to suggest that it is talking, although there are other ways to indicate which character is speaking.)

Nat Marvan’s striking animation mirrors and thereby enhances the puppetry. The original music by Lewis Flinn, composer of the Broadway musical Lysistrata Jones, includes haunting vocalizations performed by singers of the Comcáac people. They emphasize moments with a mysterious white pelican. Its last appearance will be the most significant one.

No spoilers. The play’s ending won’t be described. But it seems fair to mention a hint of hope early on in the play. Bud is the rare hero who admits from the get-go, “I don’t know.” To which his female friend, a packrat named Happy, replies, “You will. You just don’t know yet.” Insights come gradually to him, as to the rest of us, through observation and discussion, dreams and mistakes.

Packrat: The Quest por la Abundancia (through January 23, 2026)

Concrete Temple Theatre

Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212- 219-0736 or visit http://www.dixonplace.org

Running time: 80 minutes without an intermission