• Tiny Tots @ 10, July – September 2012 Schedule
• Snow White and the 7 Dwarves, July – September 2012 Schedule
• Carnival of the Animals, September – October 2012 Schedule
• Beauty & The Beast, October – November 2012 Schedule
• The Nutcracker, November – December 2012 Schedule
• Toyland, January – February 2013 Schedule
• Alice in Wonderland, February – March 2013 Schedule
• Jack and the Beanstalk, March – April 2013 Schedule
• Cinderella, April – June 2013 Schedule

Schedule is subject to change due to performance rights conflicts or other issues.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is a delightful little production now playing at The Puppet Co. in Glen Echo Park. For half an hour, tots and toddlers on the floor, and their parents on comfy benches, escape into the magical world of puppetry.

The story is the classical Snow White story with live actors playing Snow White, Prince Stephan and the Evil Queen. The language is updated to Disney kidspeak and the production is lush and elegant without being too fooffy for the audience. The little boys were as spellbound as the girls, especially when Prince Stephan came out with his beautiful blue puppet horse.

The live actors are pro forma for the venue. It is the puppets that enchant. Allen Stevens and Christopher Piper maneuver all the puppets and supply most of the voices of the beautifully crafted representational figures. “I hope the audience is having as much fun as we are,” says Allen Stevens. Piper actually becomes his own live puppet in the form of the old hag who gives Snow White the poisoned apple.

It is hard to think of a more lovely family time with little ones than a show at The Puppet Co. The show is short enough to leave time for ice cream and a ride on the carousel.

Photo Gallery

Queen Rosenrot (Nora Achrati)	Six of the seven dwarves gather
The old hag devises a plan

Photos by Bruce Douglas
Disclaimer: Puppet Co. Playhouse provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Goldilocks, written by Christopher Piper, is the traditional fairy tale with a bit of a twist. The actors play three bears and a blond Valley girl with each side telling their interpretation of the story. Was Goldilocks a trespassing vandal? Or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Cate Krage was the lawyer from the bear’s point of view and Christopher Piper took over and brought Goldilocks to the stand to relate her side of the encounter. Both sides made good points. And the moral is: ALWAYS check the stove before you go for a walk!

Goldilocks was a traditional rod puppet. What made the magic happen was the vocal inflections by the actors. The bear costumes came to life through the Costume Realization of Mayfield Piper. Cate and Christopher wore the puppets over their bodies and manipulated their mouths like a traditional hand puppet. It made for a neat effect. Papa Bear and Mama Bear had some interesting scenes as they argued nicely about breakfast, the newspaper, and Baby Bear.

Set designer Allan Stevens used a rolling canvas to depict a kitchen, and the forest which the bears and Goldilocks used in their retelling of the crime, (I mean adventure.) The painted set rolled and a neat little kitchen was raised to reveal a pot of oatmeal, some bowls and a high chair for baby bear. When these were lowered the canvas was again moved and presto! you had a forest scene!

The show was engaging for young audiences with just enough humor to keep the adults entertained as well.

Photo Gallery

Cate Krage	Goldilocks and Baby Bear

Photos by Christopher Piper

Cast

• Kate Krage
• Christopher Piper

Production Staff

• Puppets, Script, and Music by: Christopher Piper
• Costumes and Set Design, and Directed by: Allan Stevens
• Costume Realization by: Mayfield Piper
• General Manager: Mayfield Piper
• Director of Guest Services: Jon Gazarek
• Lighting Designer: Dan Brooks
• House Manager: Christian Beltran
• Director of Development & Community Relations: Erin Gifford

Disclaimer: Puppet Co. Playhouse provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Last Saturday night, the Puppet Company presented its sixth Playhouse Puppetry Slam! This entertaining event featured puppeteers from all over the East Coast, who presented puppet works in several styles.

This sold-out event was a lot of fun. Hosted by Michael Cotter, founder of the Blue Sky Puppet Theatre, the ninety minute event introduced several new puppeteers in their first public performances to experienced artists like Basil Twist and Carole D’Agostino.

A wide range of puppetry styles were presented. Kit Young and Eric Brooks performed a Burmese Marionette sketch “Royal Blood” which seemed to end abruptly. Marianne Ross’s cranky/scroll piece showing the history of medicine was a bit slow-paced, but brought chuckles from the audience as Ross commented on how the practice of medicine has changed over the years. Carole D’Agostino’s tabletop rod “Shape Shifter” wasn’t entirely successful as her rods were formed into shapes, although the butterfly and flying bird were well-done. David Greenfieldboyce shared a surprisingly funny bit with his Rod puppets in the story “A Bunny Shouldn’t Ever Have a Fox for a Pet.” It reminded me of an extended “Itchy and Scratchy” cartoon from the Simpsons. Julie and Barnaby Holmes told a love story using shadows and hand and rod puppets.

Carole D’Agostino wins the bravery award by creating a puppetry piece with only the objects audience members had with them and the audience-suggested concept of “elephants.” Her story of the elephant (formed out of two umbrellas) being scared by a mouse was well-received. David Greenfieldboyce returned with a new fable told via tabletop and rod marionettes, “Ruby Creek.” And to close out the evening was Basil Twist in an amazing marionette piece entitled “Stick Man.”

Before the show and between sketches the band The JFQ Quartet (Steve Long, Allan Bentovsky, David Martin and Eric Brooks) entertained the audience with a wonderful selection of jazz.

The next Puppetry Slam will be in the Fall. Don’t miss it!

Disclaimer: Puppet Co. Playhouse provided a complimentary media ticket to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Rapunzel is the classic fairy tale of a long-haired girl locked in a tower by a witch. The Puppet Company’s telling is a version of the classic story by the Grimm brothers, not a Disneyfied version (“Tangled”) or the Sondheim version (Into the Woods). We are introduced to an older childless couple. The wife convinces her busband to sneak into the neighbor’s garden to steal some radishes (also called rapunzel). Unfortunately the “neighbor” happened to be a mean old witch and she catches the husband, and claims their daughter as compensation for her radishes. Rapunzel grows up, and so does her hair, and the witch hides her in a tall tower. The only way into thee tower is by climbing Rapunzel’s hair. One day as Rapunzel was singing in her tower a prince rode by, heard the beautiful melody and fell in love. Eventually the prince figured out how to get up to the tower and the two planned to marry. Then things got complicated!

The telling of this story is done entirely by one puppeteer, Christopher Piper. Piper filled in for Eric Brooks who was called out of town unexpectedly. Entirely done with hand puppets, Piper does a remarkable job shifting sets, changing his voice, and telling the story in a very entertaining style. There were five different characters, and each had a unique personality. The set was made up of two different castles, plus the radish field, a wall (and the wall gets its own song too!), and a briar patch. Colorful backgrounds helped set each scene.

The children in the audience were caught up in the plot as well and seemed to enjoy it. And since it had been many years since I read the original Grimm Brothers version of Rapunzel, many of the story elements were new to me, leading to a very enjoyable piece of theater.

The Puppet Company’s Rapunzel was the classic fairy tale told with hand puppets in a very entertaining way.

Photo Gallery

Witch Wartsmith tries to keep Rapunzel our of the hands of a handsome Prince	Old Jonathan is confronted by Witch Wartsmith

Photos by Christopher Piper

Cast

• Puppeteer: Eric Brooks
• Puppeteer: Christopher Piper (March 15-18)

Production Staff

• Puppets, Costume and Set Designs, and Directed by: Allan Stevens
• General Manager: Mayfield Piper
• Director of Guest Services: Jon Gazarek
• Lighting Design: Dan Brooks
• House Manager: Kathi Gollwitzer
• Director of Development & Community Relations: Erin Gifford

Disclaimer: Puppet Co. Playhouse provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, with the score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker is the story of Clara who is given a nutcracker by a mysterious but kindly old gentleman who visits the house on Christmas night. Clara is later led on a magical journey through a land with mice, huge soldiers, and finally a prince. When you think of ballet you think of girls in tights and pink skirts dancing around the stage. Sounds a bit mundane.

Until you turn everything into puppets of various sizes. The five performers (Nora Achrati, Brestt Messiora, Christopher Piper, Matt Reckeweg, and Leslie Vincent) each played multiple roles, as several different types of puppets. The opening scene featured body puppets wearing pajamas. The performers relied on large movements and gestures to make the music of the story come alive.

The puppets ranged in size from hand puppets to marionettes to body puppets. The body puppets were ingenious, such as Russian dancers on stools wearing head masks, to a floating genie on a fluorescent table dancing with a magic scarf. The hand puppets were surprisingly expressive. The music was pre-recorded so the performers really had to have the timing down, which they did. The audience, both young and old, were entertained by the colors, puppets, and music.

After the performance we were given a backstage tour by Christopher Piper, who shared with us some of the magic of puppetry. The Puppet Company also features an on-site reference library for puppetry, and several examples of different puppets (A Christmas Carol) are on display in the library and lobby windows.

The Puppet Company’s telling of The Nutcracker, in a not-so-traditional way using not-so-traditional actors, was enchanting. If you’ve never experienced The Nutcracker, this is an excellent introduction. And if you’re weary of ballet versions, the Puppet Company comes to your rescue with their 24th year of performing this holiday classic.

Photo Gallery

Fritz, Mother and Clara-Marie	The magician on his magic carpet
The Nutcracker and his toy soldiers battle the Mouse King and his minions

Photos by Christopher Piper

Performers

Nora Achrati, Brestt Messiora, Christopher Piper, Matt Reckeweg, Leslie Vincent

Production Staff

• Director, Mask & Puppet Design, Puppetmaster: Christopher Piper
• Original Staging, Music Arranger, Design Concept: Allan Stevens
• Business Manager, Production Assistant, Costume Realization: Mayfield Piper
• Lighting Design: Dan Brooks
• Communications Development: Erin Gifford
• Box Office Manager: Jon Gazarek
• House Manager: Kathi Gollwitzer

Disclaimer: Puppet Co. Playhouse provided three complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

• Tales of Beatrix Potter, September – October 2011 Schedule
• Three Billy Goats Gruff, October – November 2011 Schedule
• The Nutcracker, November – December 2011 Schedule
• Peter and the Wolf, January – February 2012 Schedule
• Mozart’s The Magic Flute, February – March 2012 Schedule
• Rapunzel, March – April 2012 Schedule
• Pinocchio, April – May 2012 Schedule

Schedule is subject to change due to performance rights conflicts or other issues.