For years I have walked by the Puppetworks theater on 6th avenue and wondered what they did there. How did they stay open? What was it like?
This weekend, I finally went to a show.It was cute and real. I liked it. Not quite like the swedish cottage marionette theatre in Central Park but I liked it more for it’s neighborhood feel.
The more than twenty year old Brooklyn puppet theater runs shows every single day, but is only open for public tickets on the weekend. They ask that you reserve shows by calling or emailing so that they can be sure that there are enough seats.
Last Sunday I realized that I had the afternoon free and a little one who was finally old enough to go, so we called and reserved a spot.
The show was The Snow Queen & The Emperor’s New Clothes, two short programs adapted from Hans Christian Anderson tales of the same name. The tales were adapted for the puppet show decades ago by the theater’s founder Nicolas Coppola, who also made the marionettes. (By the way, neither this nor the original tale really have any resemblance to Disney’s Frozen, despite the assertion that Frozen was based on The Snow Queen.)
The Snow Queen was actually a bit scary and the kids loved it. The lighting was fantastic and really made it special as did the slightly old-fashioned feel of it all. In the dramatic conclusion, there is a moment of action that made all the kids squeal.. they asked about it later when the puppeteer let the kids see and touch the puppets. “Is she ok,” they asked. “Is the Snow Queen all tangled up?”
We’ll definitely come back, it was no surprise that a lot of the audience members were not there for the first time.
The Snow Queen & The Emperor’s New Clothes
(suggested for ages 3 and up)
September 1 – December 16, 2018
Marionettes by Nicolas Coppola
Scenery by Kevin Frisch
Saturdays and Sundays
also Columbus Day, October 8
Veteran’s Day (observed), November 12
@ 12:30 & 2:30 pm
Reservations at 718-965-3391