VT show a royal pleasure
Fun rules in family-friendly production
By Brenda Jefferies,
Flamborough Review Staff Arts & Entertainment May 08, 2009

Colourful costumes, magical puppets and whimsical sets highlight the spring production by Village Theatre, A Royal Pain. And youngsters at the shows during opening weekend were enchanted.

Following tradition of presenting a show for kids by kids, director Marie Franek and the VT team, in association with Studio Babette Puppet Theatre, bring to life one chaotic day in the life of one kingdom. At their disposal is a cast of rod puppet characters, youthfully exuberant performers, buskers and live music. Supported by VT veterans, the young cast members shine: jester Meghan Riggs energizes the room with a confident performance that opens and closes the show, while her fellow ladies in waiting Margot Olivieri and Julia Rocchi juggle their human roles with voice roles for their puppet characters. But the slapstick antics of the guards, voiced by Cabot Jasper and Sam Challen, were the hands-down favourite at the Sunday afternoon performance.

Audience involvement is definitely encouraged throughout the presentation, thanks to wandering minstrels, maids selling warm treats at intermission, and a touch of pantomime thrown in for good measure.

The show, which is presented in two acts that run about a half-hour each separated by a 20-minute intermission, is just long enough to satisfy, but not too long to outlast young attention spans and energy levels.

A ROYAL PAIN

By Katie Penrose
View Magazine
April 2009

Tucked upstairs at the Village Theatre in Waterdown is a small room full of puppets poking like birthday candles up from wooden stands, almost eye–to–eye with you despite their small stature. There they wait, preserving the subtlety of their carved faces for when it is next needed on stage, anticipating the hot jovial hands that will soon raise them high in the air, buzzing with secret personality. Stoically they manifest a life of their own.

The mysterious complexity behind the art of puppetry rings with truth and intrigue, and a delectable uniqueness is contained within. As far as live performance, there is nothing akin.

This weekend, Theatre Waterdown’s Marie Franek will bring to the stage a highly anticipated children’s show, starring puppets who lived in the basement of a retired Polish puppeteer’s house untouched for 20 years, until Marie bought them. The play, called A Royal Pain, stars a king with a toothache and his beautiful daughter, who attempts to ease the tyranny of the disgruntled ruler. It is a quirky comic tale, although the music is classical and sophisticated.

Presumably performed only in Poland until now, this script (which also lived 20 long years in the basement) will make a triumphant debut at tomorrow’s show, along with the 11 fresh–faced puppeteers who are working so hard to perfect the nuances of the art.

Notable in that crew is Helena Adamczyk, who puppeteered with Marie at the Pearl Company last year, as did local theatre denizen Kerry Corrigan. This time Helena will be handling two main puppets while Kerry acts behind the scenes as stage manager. Both women have been a valuable source of energy and enthusiasm for Marie, who spearheaded A Royal Pain, and has almost singlehandedly brought puppetry to the Hamilton theatre scene. Bravo!

Marie Franek grew up in the Czech Republic where miniature puppet theatres are plentiful, so her background couldn’t be any more colourful or authentic. “It is difficult to find children’s plays. Once you go through the classics, what do you do?” says Marie. “With puppets you can choose something more visually interesting, and you can adapt to any kind of storytelling.

"Because of the culture I grew up in I am always very animated; I can be really big, it’s much more theatrical. In the movie industry here everything is subtle, actors are subtle. I like those big characters that really show the emotion.” In our interview, Marie came across as very centred and a naturally creative leader, and she spoke intently about the multi–faceted nature of puppeteering. In Czech tradition, a puppet is actually engineered and sculpted by the puppeteer. Then she must practice the movements of its hands and develop body language, she must thoroughly distinguish its particular voice, and she must be able to weave all these elements simultaneously into the rhythm of the play. Not to mention the added physical demand of maneuvering through a cramped space. Says Marie, “you must be kinetic.”

A Royal Pain uses rod puppets, which descend in style from Indonesian shadow puppets. The puppeteer holds the puppet up on a long stick and moves the arms with a rod. In Marie’s experience, kids have shown genuine love for them, and respond as if they are real. “Objects? No. They really believe it’s a live thing.”

You’ll have to come and see for yourself. The Waterdown theatre has been transformed into a medieval village full of costumed ushers and buskers, so you’re in for a whole experience. Arrive half an hour early for the pre–show, which will feature puppets, musicians, food and drinks. A Royal Pain will be a wonderful experience and is a rare opportunity to see a truly authentic puppet show. Don’t miss it!

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