Politicians are Puppets

17 responses to “Politicians are Puppets”

1. Politicians are Puppets gets 5 stars!
   The producer and her crew have created an engaging and informative Fringe production. One that audiences will remember and discuss on the way out the door! At every turn intriguing and creative ploys are used to reinforce the point… politicians are puppets. Riveting political storylines are supported by images of actual newspaper clippings and audio bites depicting political figures. The MC is a bumblebee who laments the loss of her home due to deforestation. Throughout the play actors enter wearing huge papier-mâché masks of political figures. Musicians perform songs of protest and resistance. All of this is peppered with a good dose of humour.
   Don’t miss this one!

2. This show is one of the best funniest of the 2026 fest! If you live or have experienced a taste of life in Ottawa, this is a show for you. Even if not applicable in that way, just GO! I stayed up way past my bedtime to see this show and I was not disappointed- great performances and superb audio-visual, live music and excellent performance art components. Big kudos to all involved in putting this production together, especially whoever the heck made those masks! GO SEE THIS SHOW or you don’t like bees and the future of our planet ….

3. This show was great! The producer did a thorough job of summarizing the madness that is the Canadian local and provincial political landscape. I can’t believe everything I learned was actually true. It is nothing short of madness.
   Due to the political nature of the show, some viewers will inevitably have negative things to say. I’m not sure what was AI generated and what wasn’t, but some of the Trump material had to be reproduced electronically since he makes an appearance. The Doug Ford audio was drawn entirely from news interviews.
   I watched several other Fringe productions this year and while they were all amusing and entertaining, this one actually left a mark. It had real commentary and depth. If you want light entertainment and would rather not be confronted with the gruesome state of Canadian politics, maybe skip this one. And as for the AI question — the art and the script were not generated. Everyone is using AI these days. Take a chill pill.

4. While this show was intriguing at first, the use of generative AI is appalling and unforgivable for a show that is trying to appear progressive. This year’s fringe is filled with so much talent and artistry, wasting your time with any show that uses AI slop to make it’s “magic” is a slap in the face to the artists who’ve put in the effort to get on that stage. I’ve seen shows this year that have composed original music and used hand drawn backdrops for their settings, they were a much better use of my time.

5. ‘Politicians Are Puppets’ is a brilliantly entertaining and thought-provoking play. I found the play so enjoyable and significant that I went to see it twice! I have been recommending it to everyone I know who cares about the impact of political decisions on the natural world and its inhabitants. It provides an accurate, engaging and disturbing account of a series of misguided and expensive political decisions that have damaged the natural and social environment in ways that are contrary to the public interest. The play encourages the audiences to ask why these inappropriate decisions have been made, and includes opportunities the audience to express their reactions. The cast members do a wonderful job of animating the giant puppet faces created by Velvet LeClair, which are worth the price of admission for their visual impact alone. The clever use of a translation app gives these characters a voice in a way that adds humour and realism while also conveying the mechanical, artificial nature of the utterances the characters make. I hope that this play will continue to be presented to encourage audiences to reflect on the damage that occurs when private interests override social and environmental concerns.

6. Brilliantly put together. As a political junkie, and someone who wants to cry at the actions of our politicians it was wonderful to see something that actually made me laugh.

7. We found the multimedia format very creative. The masks and the costumes were excellent. With humour and irony, this production, the first of its kind for the writer/director Velvet LeClair, lambasted politicians at the three levels of government, whose mistakes and fumbles have plagued the City of Ottawa over the past several decades.

8. I loved this show!
   The unique use of puppets, local history (much of which I had forgotten) and comedy kept me totally entertained. In addition, the emphasis on political choices that hurt nature resonated.