I forgot to write this up last week. We went to the Center for Puppetry Arts to see the Rudolph show on Fri Dec 30. I wanted to go before Christmas, but every show was sold out!
Now I understand why!
It was spectacular! It was WAY too good for kids! It was totally not what I was expecting.
When you think “puppet show” you think, well, puppets on a stage. But this was SO much more. Not only were the puppets exact duplicates of the ones used for the stop motion Rudolph movie from 1964, but they had 3D sets! There was a scrim in front of the whole stage that had foreground animations projected onto it. It was used for weather, surrounding scenery and transitions. When the stage lights came up, the scrim disappears (it’s VERY sheer) and you see the action of the puppets on a 2 tiered stage set. They even have smaller puppets for “long shots”! The puppets are voiced live by the puppeteers, some of whom are actors around town as well as puppeteers at the Center.
For $16.50, it was absolutely worth every cent. I’d pay more, actually. It’s live action, animation and live singing all in one. I HIGHLY recommend seeing Rudolph next year and other shows between now and then.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer gets 5 of 5 stars
As a side note, the Jim Henson wing exhibits are just the first part of the overall plan to house the ONLY Jim Henson Museum in the world at the Center. The Center only gets $30k from the National Endowment for the Arts. (!!) I was shocked at how little they receive! People with children should think about joining the Center to help fund the Henson museum as well as taking your kids to some quality programming. It’s a VERY good cause!