Photo via Happenstance Theater.

Presented by Puppet Showplace Theater
Devised by Happenstance Theater
Artistic co-direction by Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell
Featuring Gwen Grastorf, Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Sarah Olmsted, and Thomas and Alex Vernon

June 22-23, 2026
Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St, Brookline MA 02445

Critique by Maegan Clearwood

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Medieval Europe places quite low on my time travel wish list, but there is nothing like the magic of theatre to reshape one’s imaginings of a time and place. Happenstance Theater’s Death and the Fool: A Tarot-Inspired Medieval Folly sweeps audiences away from the 21st century and into a 15th century dreamland – all the simple, sweet joys of welcoming the harvest, set against a soundscape of old-timey string instruments, no boils or bubonic plagues in sight.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Death is a central figure in this world, and its presence haunts the otherwise worry-free Fool. Characters regularly drop dead at the mere sight of the cloaked, scythe-wielding figure, and the play doesn’t shy away from the grotesque, often absurd, parts of this inevitable cycle. One of the most entrancing vignettes, in fact, follows the decomposition of three bodies, from rotting flesh to rebirth, told simply through physical movement and sound effects.

Even in these unflinching moments, however, Death and the Fool manages to stay lighthearted and inviting. Death, the Fool eventually learns, is inevitable, so why not make merry and dance our way to the end?

The Fool’s journey from fear to acceptance is punctuated by vignettes: music and dance interludes, a slapstick encounter with a bumbling doctor, and a visitation from a two-headed oracle, to name a few memorable moments. Even the sillier vignettes are understated and delicate. The Happenstance ensemble understands that a knowing smile, simple gesture, or well-placed drumbeat can communicate an entire story to an audience.

At times, the piece flickers with Monty Python-esque buffoonery, but it never stays in those brasher places for long. Mostly, it feels like the headspace between a lullaby and a dream, sometimes skimming the surface of strange, dark fears but always returning to quieter, comfortable rest.

Notably, Death and the Fool invites a bit of modernity into this peaceful reverie midway through the piece, during the Oracle’s visit. The audience was asked to pose questions to the Oracle, performed by two actors connected at the head and bedecked in harvest-inspired cloaks. This is one of a handful of audience interaction moments in the play, all of which are refreshingly low-stakes and entirely voluntary. One spectator asked about the outcome of the world cup; another about the hopeful demise of a certain fascist powerhead. The modern-day questions fractured the sense of escapism I had been basking in up until that point but were also a reminder of the concerns (trivial and existential) that link humanity across time and place – an unexpected but ultimately welcome wrench in the well-oiled production’s machine.

This stop at Puppet Showcase Theater is the middle of the Maryland-based company’s New England tour, so anyone who wants to catch this piece can find them next in Vermont or Maine. Hopefully, they will swing back to Boston with another whimsical little creation in the near future.

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