People often associate puppets with theatre for young audiences, but extraordinary artists like Ronnie Burkett have proven that puppets can entrance older viewers, too.
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No surprise that a trio of productions at Fringekids! (the new name for the KidsVenue at the Palmerston Library Theatre) use puppets to push the plot along.
The eight-year-old at the centre of Derrick, Supreme Ruler Of The World, And Mister Sock, turns to a mouthy hand puppet to vent his frustrations. Scaredy Kat is a musical puppet show about monsters under the bed, one of whom becomes a young girl’s therapist to explore the frightening things in her life.
As You Puppet takes a classic and reinvents it, using stuffed animals to present one of the Bard’s best-known comedies.
And for adults? Coming from Australia is Grandpa Sol And Grandma Rosie, in which a nurse confronts her worries about aging by working at a care facility for seniors. The show features six life-sized puppets and a number of talking dentures who interact with writer/performer Lana Schwarcz (Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse).
Sounds like it’s worth biting into.