Any kid who grew up in San Luis Obispo in the 80s probably has memories of Don Wallace, the street-performing puppeteer who was a longtime staple of Farmers Markets and festivals. He was the man behind the curtain, his hands and giving life to the puppets he carved and dressed himself. A lot of people found his routines a bit disturbing, as his puppets were very much of the Punch and Judy school, and his takes on fairy tales decidedly non-Disney. Creepy or not, I always liked his shows. And for a time, I got a behind-the-scenes look at all his upcoming shows, as this local character was also my Dad’s roommate. By the time I was “too old” to attend puppet shows, Don Wallace had started cutting back on the free street shows and started doing anti-smoking routines at schools and John Muir nature hikes, where his unique voice was used for another form of storytelling. I only spoke to Don Wallace once or twice as an adult — I wish I had got a chance to know him better. In any case, he opened my eyes to puppets in their raw, un-felted form.
While browsing the New York Times this weekend, I saw a review for a current off-Broadway puppet show called Disfarmer. I know nothing about the semi-biographical subject, a real life Arkansian photographer, but the puppet work sure is amazing, especially with the music to which it is choreographed. Unfortunately I can’t embed the video here so you’ll have to follow the link.
On youtube, the creators posted a work-in-progress look at the show that reveals the inner workings of the puppet star. Even though the puppeteers are right there in plain sight, it’s amazing how much the puppet takes on a life of its own. Very effective work. The puppet reminds me of the sad junkyard robots of AI. I hope you Henson fans will enjoy!
