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Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Review: Theatrical Wizardry Propels Public's Inventive 'The Hobbit'
onstagepittsburgh.com: I thought I had every possible iteration of The Hobbit seared in my brain. Now I have to make room for another: Pittsburgh Public Theater’s mashup of clever staging, puppetry and nimble performances that bring the creature-filled journey to life.
My sister was able to get us tickets to go see this show this Sunday for the matinee. When I first heard about it, I was skeptical, as I’m not the hugest fan of the Hobbit trilogy. But once hearing more about the storyline and the technical aspects, I was intrigued. It seemed as though this was a creative way to tell a story about a story that many audiences already knew thanks to the books and the movies. Knowing now how many puppets are in this show, I am beyond excited to see them in action on Sunday and I can’t wait to see how they add to the play’s storyline and work to incorporate the amount of magic and fairytale that both the book and the movies entail. I hope that this continues to get the good reviews that it’s been receiving, because it’s clear that it’s a show that is great for all ages, supplying the parents with a good story and the kids with the awe of magic by using puppetry. I hope that I will enjoy this show as much as the reviewer did from this article.
I really want to get a chance to see this production! It seems very Stranger Things/ D&D-esque. Ale came to me the other day and absolutely raved about it- and his review was that it absolutely blew him away. They described it as a love letter to true storytelling- and that’s really high praise. The images in the review are absolutely stunning- and make me want to learn more. Anytime I see a huge puppet onstage I know I better buckle up- and even just the presented images in the article showcase many a puppet of all shapes and sizes. I love that this show takes beloved iconic characters and turns the audience’s perception of them on their head- shows like that always make me think. I really hope I can get tickets for myself and my friends in town next weekend!
I love a show with funky puppets and props! This looks great and super well done, from the puppets to the staging. Many years ago I saw a production of She Kills Monsters, and reading this review and seeing the puppets and the description of a “role playing game” reminded me of that show. It’s been quite a few years so I don’t totally remember the story of She Kills Monsters, but I remember being a huge fan of the puppets, masks, and how the space was set up in the production that I saw. Puppets seem like a great way to have monsters and fanciful beings on stage in a way that is low-tech during the show (an actor carrying around a puppet), but takes a decent amount of time beforehand to design and fabricate. I feel like puppets can kind of live beyond the show, since they are usually fabricated for a show and aren’t made of parts that one would necessarily want to take apart, and also they are entertaining or scary or serve whatever purpose they are meant to without any power needed.
I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about this show, and while I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it to the run due to my own obligations, it’s definitely one I wanted to see. The plot of the plot seems like a really fun show with some weight to it. The artistry in the puppets is also really neat, and an element of the show that I really enjoy. Well done puppets can really make the whimsical element of a show, and it seems like this production really accomplished that feat. On a side note, as a big Lord of the Rings/the Hobbit fan, I really enjoy the adaptation of the story into a shorter stage adaptation like this, it seems like a play that is really fitting for the stage. While I’m sad I don’t get to see this show, I hope those who get to see it thoroughly enjoy it.
I am always an absolute sucker for good puppetry and this show looks like its packed full of it. I never thought that The Lord of The Rings would ever be a series taken to live theatre however this theatre company seemed to do a lovely job of bringing it to life. Similarly the very theatrical lighting design appears to fit the dramatic story surprisingly well for a storyline I always thought of in a literature of movie sense. I do appreciate the more modern take for the costume design as it really helps put the story in a new perspective. Similarly the puppet design for Gollum captures his character very well. The puppet ogres as well are captured in a very stylistic manner but still very visually interesting. Unfortunately I cannot see this show however I would’ve loved to see the other scenic and puppetry elements if I could’ve.
5 comments:
My sister was able to get us tickets to go see this show this Sunday for the matinee. When I first heard about it, I was skeptical, as I’m not the hugest fan of the Hobbit trilogy. But once hearing more about the storyline and the technical aspects, I was intrigued. It seemed as though this was a creative way to tell a story about a story that many audiences already knew thanks to the books and the movies. Knowing now how many puppets are in this show, I am beyond excited to see them in action on Sunday and I can’t wait to see how they add to the play’s storyline and work to incorporate the amount of magic and fairytale that both the book and the movies entail. I hope that this continues to get the good reviews that it’s been receiving, because it’s clear that it’s a show that is great for all ages, supplying the parents with a good story and the kids with the awe of magic by using puppetry. I hope that I will enjoy this show as much as the reviewer did from this article.
I really want to get a chance to see this production! It seems very Stranger Things/ D&D-esque. Ale came to me the other day and absolutely raved about it- and his review was that it absolutely blew him away. They described it as a love letter to true storytelling- and that’s really high praise. The images in the review are absolutely stunning- and make me want to learn more. Anytime I see a huge puppet onstage I know I better buckle up- and even just the presented images in the article showcase many a puppet of all shapes and sizes. I love that this show takes beloved iconic characters and turns the audience’s perception of them on their head- shows like that always make me think. I really hope I can get tickets for myself and my friends in town next weekend!
I love a show with funky puppets and props! This looks great and super well done, from the puppets to the staging. Many years ago I saw a production of She Kills Monsters, and reading this review and seeing the puppets and the description of a “role playing game” reminded me of that show. It’s been quite a few years so I don’t totally remember the story of She Kills Monsters, but I remember being a huge fan of the puppets, masks, and how the space was set up in the production that I saw. Puppets seem like a great way to have monsters and fanciful beings on stage in a way that is low-tech during the show (an actor carrying around a puppet), but takes a decent amount of time beforehand to design and fabricate. I feel like puppets can kind of live beyond the show, since they are usually fabricated for a show and aren’t made of parts that one would necessarily want to take apart, and also they are entertaining or scary or serve whatever purpose they are meant to without any power needed.
I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about this show, and while I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it to the run due to my own obligations, it’s definitely one I wanted to see. The plot of the plot seems like a really fun show with some weight to it. The artistry in the puppets is also really neat, and an element of the show that I really enjoy. Well done puppets can really make the whimsical element of a show, and it seems like this production really accomplished that feat. On a side note, as a big Lord of the Rings/the Hobbit fan, I really enjoy the adaptation of the story into a shorter stage adaptation like this, it seems like a play that is really fitting for the stage. While I’m sad I don’t get to see this show, I hope those who get to see it thoroughly enjoy it.
I am always an absolute sucker for good puppetry and this show looks like its packed full of it. I never thought that The Lord of The Rings would ever be a series taken to live theatre however this theatre company seemed to do a lovely job of bringing it to life. Similarly the very theatrical lighting design appears to fit the dramatic story surprisingly well for a storyline I always thought of in a literature of movie sense. I do appreciate the more modern take for the costume design as it really helps put the story in a new perspective. Similarly the puppet design for Gollum captures his character very well. The puppet ogres as well are captured in a very stylistic manner but still very visually interesting. Unfortunately I cannot see this show however I would’ve loved to see the other scenic and puppetry elements if I could’ve.
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