Puppet Show

So over the break, I have been working on several projects all at once, and I got to see a few bits of theatre. First I saw a marionette show from Tanglewood Puppets at the Millbrook first night. I was really impressed with the show, although I think the poor puppeteer was probably really tired from the day as she did around four shows that were roughly an hour each.
It was one puppeteer and she was performing "Sleeping Beauty" with nine puppets. The voices were prerecorded and the stage was lit very simply with two par cans and two standard shop flood lights. I think the movement was sometimes lethargic, but again I attribute that to the lady have performed all day. I thought the story was well cut however for a children's show the humor was not as strong as it could have been. It had a few good moments for adults and a few good moments that the children could really rap their heads around. I think as far as a professional show goes it was towards the bottom of my list although I did thouroughly enjoy it.
I also saw an eight year old give a full theatrical production of what she liked to call "Aaaah!" An enrapturing story about a princess whose mother had been turned into a unicorn from a spell. The king had died two years prior in a civil war and the queen felt that she too wanted to pass on, since she was very very old. In order to die, however, her princess would have to find a prince and marry him. When they kissed, she would die and the princess would become queen. A cow, a chicken, a horse and finally a farm boy all asked for the princesses hand in marriage, and she finally kept the farm boy, but whoa alas, an evil witch appeared to kill the farm boy. Then we were shuttled back in time, to when a wizard of the castle had done the same thing to the witch, and so now, in current time, the witch wanted the princess to feel her pain. Luckily for the princess the wizard shows up and saves them. They lived happily ever after.
I think there is something to this. Mostly because I believe that children are creative geniuses as they have not encountered the limits/peer pressure they will encounter later in life. The imagination runs free and that is something to strive for.
:)


http://www.tanglewoodmarionettes.com/