Comments:

raymond - 2005-01-04 07:18:33
Puppeteer Meredith Bixby's marionette production of "Jack and the Magic Stalk" opened with Jack asleep on a haystack. Mother entered uttering admonishments, "Jack! Jack, you lazy boy," as she found that Jack had failed to draw water from the well as so told to do. Mother went to the well, picked up the bucket, went over to the sleeping Jack, and dumped water on him. He awoke spluttering and shivering.

The marionette actions of picking up the bucket and dumping real water were hard to learn but fun to do. Not so fun, however, was a Jack who after spending the night in the truck during the frigid winter was the next day frozen into impossible contortions. He often had to lie awhile under a hot spotlight to thaw for performance. Worse yet was the haystack made of yarn which during the steamier months turned to stinking slime.

Perhaps Jack's lesson is that however ye sow, ye can't predict what ye may reap. The lazy, foolish lad who squanders poor Blossom the cow for a few exotic beans may yet reach success through trickery and thievery. Poor old giant. He was robbed.
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Laura - 2005-01-04 10:15:14
What a great story (thawing Jack and melting haystack).

Naia Venturi is bringing the 1807 version to life in February:

The Dreamland Puppet Troupe presents:
THE HISTORY OF JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK
Based on the 1807 first published version of the classic fairytale. Adapted as a puppet show by Naia Venturi, with original music by Misha Grey. This early version of the tale follows the boy Jack from his frivolous innocence as the only child of a widowed mother, on his journey up the bean-stalk where he learns the truth of what happened to his father and reclaims from the Giant what was rightfully his. A multi-media puppet show with marionettes, video projection and a body puppet as the Giant. For all ages.

Saturday February 26th at 7:00 PM
Sunday February 27th at 4:00 PM
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raymond - 2005-01-04 15:33:42
Was looking in old files yesterday and saw news clipping of "body puppet" (a.k.a. costume) I did for the Undersea Czar in a Firebird. Was fun. Should scan it sometime.

Last september during the Bixby Festival I was demonstrating puppets and a kid came by who had gone through the museum some years before at age six or so. In September he was a young teen. He never forgot the giant. I made him hold it to feel how heavy it is. During performances on the road we occasionally made kids pee their pants with Bixby's giant.
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Laura - 2005-01-04 15:36:27
Yikes: that gave me a start when I looked at it. Of course I'd love to see the Undersea Czar, should you ever scan it one of these days.
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raymond - 2005-01-04 17:10:21
I have difficulty scanning slides. I tried. I put up some underwater pics from THE FIREBIRD, ca. 1978.
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Laura - 2005-01-04 17:13:59
Well, that is certainly kind of you; thank you Raymond. It's gorgeous. Very interesting. It does look very underwaterish and also very czarish, somehow.
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Le Flaneur - 2005-01-04 18:35:46
Laura - I was wondering if the Bluebeard fable makes 'Peter Pan loser in soiled socks' more attractive? At least he'd probably be too lazy to hack you with a sabre you in a closet.
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Laura - 2005-01-04 21:36:45
I was a bit sad and upset when I posted that. I guess it was a sort of flailing gesture trying to promote the virtues of being an independent spinster.

The fact of the matter is that studies clearly show, as does my own past experience, that working women like Ypsidixit still do the lion's share of housework, if married, which is grossly unfair and not a trap I'm interested in willfully entering again.
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raymond - 2005-01-05 08:33:07
Housework? Oh, that reminds me, we haven't swept up since before Christmas. I'll set some snares for the dust bunnies (bunnies? more like bears).
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Laura - 2005-01-05 08:36:27
I'm still coasting on the Thanksgiving cleanup I had to do due to family visiting. With a couple of vaccuums to thin down the lint layer.
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Le Flaneur - 2005-01-05 08:55:11
re: sad post Yeah, I've known more than a few working women who had two jobs - their day job and the second shift at home as a domestic slave. Glad to hear you extracted yourself from thankless toil.
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Laura - 2005-01-05 09:04:38
Well, you are nice to say so, Le Flaneur. My dad always does the dishes for my mom, which I think is sweet.
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