Crowd pleasing good time in Odenville
Published 12:02 am Thursday, July 5, 2012
- DSC_0455.jpg
Puppetry was on the agenda as Peter Hart with the Atlanta Puppet Company performed at the latest installment of the Odenville Library’s summer program.
Enticing kids to use their imaginations, Hart brought his 32 years of puppeteer experience to life as he made unicorns fly, bears dance and a knight in shining armor sing in Italian.
As a theatre major, Hart answered a call for an audition and found out being a puppeteer was exactly what he was supposed to be doing.
Incorporating his children filled audience into his act, Hart asked them to help him start his show with a one, two, three countdown and a shout of, “Show time!”
“Welcome to the puppet show,” Hart said.
As they children cheered, he brought out a puppet that discovered how to dance by hearing French music.
Each puppet had its own distinct personality.
A trio of puppets called the Mountain Bunnies had their own special talent. Pa, the elder bunny, played the fiddle. Ma entertained the crowd by riding a unicycle while juggling. And Junior danced a jig to Pa’s fiddling.
Roger the Dare Devil Cat was also a crowd pleaser.
Bringing in some help from the audience, Hart handpicked two assistants.
Choosing Taylor Beam and Toby Jones, Hart put Jones on the cymbals and Beam at the catapult. Roger, through the assistance of Beam and Jones, was sent soaring through the crowd.
To make it even more exciting, Roger made his way through the air again, but this time adding a challenge—making his way through a hula hoop.
With the encouragement of the crowd, Roger cleared the hoop with flying colors.
Before concluding his show, Hart brought out a knight named Sir Andre and his horse, Sarah. Singing an Italian serenade, Hart asked the crowd how to say goodbye in Italian. They answered, “Ciao.”
Thanking them for joining in his fun, Hart bid the kids adieu.
“You all have made me feel very welcome,” said Hart. “You’ve been a wonderful audience.”
Energized by the show, three-year-old Andrew Spence shared his favorite moment of the puppet show.
“I liked the catapulting cat,” Spence said after sharing, “I like Thomas (the train).”
Friends Brendan Easterling and Mason Paige had different opinions on what the best parts of the show were.
“I liked the clown,” said Easterling.
“I liked the horse,” said Paige.
Both agreed that baseball is the best sport and The Cat in the Hat is a great book.
Leslie Bolin with 21st Century CCLC’s Summer Program said, “This is the best program the library’s had. The kids’ faces were lighting up like crazy. It was wonderful. They loved it!”
To discover Odenville Library’s next adventure visit www.odenlib.org.
