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Sam Deutsch as the puppeteer. photo by Joe Mazza |
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The score is created and provided by celebrated local musician Michael Smith. On guitar and mandolin, Smith provides all of the vocal and music of the show, as well a bit of a running commentary about the happenings of the show. Smith's lyrics and voice have a bit of Woody Guthrie running through them-- simple catchy folk songs with wry comments and sly little jokes. He's got a lot of charm, and it shows through.
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The puppets are beautiful, (designed by Jesse Mooney-Bullock), a combination of hand puppets, marionettes, and the giant himself is a large mask perfectly proportioned. There's a couple of magical moments of puppet wizardry, and lots of moments of beauty. I especially liked the performer engaging with kids in the audience to help plant the flowers in the garden. It was simple but quite well done.
This is a show that kids of all ages will really like. There's not a lot of action to it-- the show is a wonderful mood piece, with a contemplative and lyrical feeling, but it's entirely engaging. The hour flew by, and my 6 year old was enthralled, and after the performance he wanted to get up and talk to the performer and touch the puppets (and he's seen a lot of shows, and doesn't always have that interest.)
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The show will run through Feb 22 at the Ruth Page Center for Arts,
1016 North Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60610
Tickets range from $10-$38.
PLEASE NOTE: Promotional tickets were provided to the reviewer. The free-ness of the tickets is not affecting my critical judgement of the show.
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