DC Theatre Scene: In a season with high profile productions of Little Shop of Horrors on Broadway and across the country, the DMV is getting its own taste of the Alan Menken sci-fi musical theatre classic this October, with a new twist. Little Shop of Horrors at Constellation Theatre Company may be in a small space, but they’re doing big things, especially with its innovative puppet design by the intrepid puppet designer/actor Matthew McGee. The four pods – designated as Pods One, Two, Three and Four – display the terrifying development of a plant into an alien-like monster.
9 comments:
I fully agree that puppets are the most magical thing that can happen onstage. They blur the line between what is alive and what is a fabricated piece in a way that media, sets, or even props cannot do as well. Taking on a show as well known as Little Shop must be a daunting task. This is a show that already has so much associated with it and a developed fan base that is tied to the way it looked in the originals. Figuring out a way to balance that and make your own creative work is a line that is really hard to walk. Not to mention the fact that the original puppets were from Henson who is quite easily the biggest name in modern puppetry. I would be seriously intimidated to work on a show that would have to live up to the work that he created during his lifetime that is far and away some of the best work in puppetry ever done.
This is very cool! It makes me smile to read about artists that get so excited about the creation process and doing things like putting little easter eggs into for the observant audience member. The high density foam is very flexible and durable and, with a proper base sealer in some cases, takes on paint very nicely. These properties make it ideal for puppets – the durability and flexibility allow for dynamic puppet movement without worrying about brittle parts breaking or tearing. A lot of foams like this is also goes together very well with contact cement, which is also a very durable connection. Over the summer we used EVA foam and L200 foam sheets with barge contact cement, and the same flat pattern from model process as McGee describes using to build the puppets for Hercules over the summer. I also think the bunraku puppet format for the pods is interesting. I have only seen the Audrey Two puppet done with an operator on the inside, so I would be interested in seeing what that looked like on stage – how aware of the performer in the audience? Was McGee successful in pulling audience attention to the plant and making them forget it is theatre? I would love to see some video to make the judgement myself.
I love Little Shop of Horrors, so I was really interested to know how it has been updated for today’s audiences. Hearing about McGee’s experience developing these plant props is very fascinating. His idea of puppetry appearing magical is a really interesting approach and I agree with his thoughts on that. We know that what we are seeing is happening in physical space right in front of our eyes, so when something amazing happens, it seems much more impressive than CGI in a film, like he talks about. Understanding how a puppeteer moves these creations is so awesome, although it does seem like a very physically taxing and demanding process. I think it’s also great that we get to see photos of his process as well as a photo a realized design on stage with all the other elements in place. It looks and hopefully feels like a character, once the performance takes place.
I feel like puppetry is the department that I always forget about. It is so interesting the way that these puppets are created and how they can portray something so fantastical while looking so realistic. The element of having them be human controlled is really amazing because it adds this realistic component to this fake thing created for the show. As McGee describes it, it is almost like magic in a sense. I was always interested in puppetry because it was always one of the weird quirks of the University of Connecticut, my home state school. UConn has always had one of the premier puppetry programs, which is extremely unique for a drama department to offer. I was always amazed in the artistry needed to create these puppet figures and the plant in Little shop that this article references. The fact that McGee is also an actor is very interesting because he is able to implement his acting skills in with his puppetry to make it all look more realistic and natural.
When it comes to theatre, puppetry and puppet making is a very easily glossed-over department because it's not one of the most commonly utilized aspects of live performance. When I was in high school, the props master in the grade above me was insanely adept at her job. She fabricated many of her props, which were realistic, aesthetically pleasing, and served their purpose faithfully. She made everything from ax heads to wolf puppets to severed heads to a dragon puppet/model. The dragon was made for Shrek the Musical, Jr. It consisted of a head and two wings the unfurled and flapped. The head and neck were at least five feet in length, and each wing had a span of no less than six. The whole unit required three to five people to operate. The wolf puppets were made for Beauty and the Beast. There were three of them, all front halves of wolves with snarling faces and movable front paws, piloted by run crew members in matching pants and black tops. They were remarkably flexible and were terrifying in the hazy light. I have been in awe of our props master and still am today.
I think that a lot of the time props as a department is glossed over because it's a given: props are needed, so they're there. What's usually not paid attention to is how much effort is behind every prop we see on stage. This article about puppetry is fascinating because puppets often aren't something we consider when talking about the technical aspects of theatre. We think of scenery, costumes., lighting, sound, but rarely will people pin down props or puppets they like in a show. I love that this puppet maker is an actor as well, who just found a passion for puppetry, and is using his skills for a good purpose. And the fact that these puppets are so delicately crafted is so intriguing and makes me so excited about the way the theatre is developing through the years.
I think it's amazing how McGee is making the puppet his own and related to the surrounding community. It’s always exciting when a play or musical has a small easter-egg connection to the location it’s in. I also love the idea that even though Little Shop currently has two famous revivals that a smaller production with a smaller budget can still have a new take on the show, especially with the signature puppet element. I also love that all of the puppets work slightly differently. I think this accentuates McGee’s idea of keeping the magic alive because the audience stays on their toes. It is perfectly natural for audience members to look for the “trick” and try to figure out how different pieces are working. Therefore changing the method will keep them guessing and therefore keep the magic alive. I love how much dedication McGee is putting into the Little Shop Puppets.
I think most people who do theatre have a fondness for Little Shop. It is campy and outgoing, it has a bit of horror, and the characters are laughable/lovable. Meanwhile, it also has those puppets, which are undoubtedly my favorite part of the show. Most productions rent the puppets rather than building them because of the degree of complexity in both the structure and the appearance. I would guess that, generally speaking, the consequences of this is that there are a limited number of puppets in circulation that have been around for quite a while. This means that they probably use older-style scenic construction techniques, and are (as the author says) physically challenging to operate. The new designs presented in this article seem to be less arduous, which could broaden the field of who can physically do the job of operating the puppet. All that being said, I do not know the first thing about large puppets, so I could be completely off base.
Sometime in the middle of last year, my love for theatre was dwindling as I saw my troupe dissolve into infighting and the constant tension of unhappy and unheard voices. Around this time was Texas Thespian Festival and I have to be honest, I wasn't excited to be surrounded by the negativity of our cast and crew's bickering. However, while I was there I saw an incredible performance of Little Shop done by Tuloso-Midway High School and the passion and ability with which the actors and crew performed astounded me. Seeing the truly jaw-dropping performance reignited my love for the art that had been completely consumed by high school drama. To say that Little Shop is magical is an understatement and seeing McGee create an even more immersive and magical performance for a show I love is incredible. It may sound melodramatic to some but if it weren't for that astoundingly magical performance and the idea that there was an entire world of theatre out there that wasn't based in a negative culture I may not have ended up here at all.
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