Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:55:31 -0600
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Wolf in Red Riding Hood


What part of the Midwest are you from?  I always get the feeling that 
everyone on this list is from the Coasts.  And by the way, any of you 
on this list that live in Flyover Land:  I write the Scene Between 
column for the Puppetry Journal, and I'm always looking for material!  
Tell me what you're up to!
Monica


On Jan 28, 2009, at 5:36 PM, puppetmaster-AT-puppetswithpizazz.com wrote:

> My version of "bagging the wolf" in RRH is fun. As the last scene 
> opens, Granny is going to bed--a Murphy bed that folds into the wall 
> and looks like a cupboard. After explaining to the children how it 
> works she climbs in. Now with every snore the bed rises up, each time 
> higher than the time before. Finally it goes so high it wakes her up 
> and she has to sleep with her head at the other end, leaning over the 
> foot board to keep it down. Of course, now that the children 
> understand the principle of the bed, they can guess what's going to 
> happen with the wolf, which brings up a good strategy in writing: if 
> the audience can figure out what's going to happen, when it does it's 
> twice as funny.
>      And can we lighten up on trouncing conservatives? I am proud to 
> be a conservative from the Midwest. My lawn looks like a field, I 
> don't condemn folks to Hell, and I do not like generalizations lumping 
> all conservatives into stereotypical molds. That's prejudice. Nancy
> Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Charles Taylor <cecetaylor-AT-verizon.net>
>
> Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:12:28
> To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
> Subject: [Puptcrit] Wolf in Red Riding Hood
>
>
>
>
> Christopher,  I enjoyed your ideas regarding knocking the wolf out with
> a frying pan. It made me laugh out loud!
>
> I toured an African Marionette marionette musical version of Little Red
> Riding Hood back in the late sixties and early seventies throughout Los
> Angeles City Schools.  It was enthusiastically received.  At that time
> there were no shows on television for African-American children to
> relate at least by race. That's why I decided to make my puppets black
> since I was traveling through the South Central Area of Los Angeles.  I
> felt self concious that my shows were mostly from a white perspective.
> Hansel and Gretel was fun but the puppets were obviously white.
>
> It occured to me that when a story is told verbally, the child can put
> himself into any character, (Bittleheim's influence). But when you
> illustrate that fairy tale with pictures, drawing, animation or 
> puppets,
> the child is limited in his or her imagination by that representation.
> Thus I presumptiously conspired to create a show for a black audience
> with out any sense of coming from that community.  I struggled with the
> sensitivity of doing the proper thing.  I did not want to offend,
> characterize or stereotype.  It was a great challenge for me and so I
> had to give it much thought and collaboration with Forman Brown of the
> Yale Puppeteers.  It was fortunate that I could draw on his vast 
> talent,
> wisdom and experience.
>
> I didn't know any actors or African-Americans to help with the 
> recording
> or dialect.  Forman wisely told me not to even attempt a Southern
> Dialect.  After all, accents don't have a race.  Many people of all
> races have different accents he said.  Just use good actors with good
> character  voices, meaning grandma should sound old, Red young, the
> mother sweet and the wolf melodramatic.  It was that simple.  I am most
> proud of that show over all others I created.
>
>
> I had many other problems to resolve before recording the show.  It was
> a two puppeteer show and I had to figure out how to handle the last
> scene with a grandmother, wolf and Red on stage at the same time with
> only two puppeteers. The  puppets were complex and it required one
> puppet to a manipulator.  The wolf was as tall as a three year old
> child.
>
> It wasn=92t true to the story or the moral of the tale but  we had a most
> amusing ending.  Now, I'm so found of how we solved the problem I
> wouldn't change it.  It is part of my history.  The grandmother, trying
> to escape the wolf by running through the audience sat on an open trunk
> trying to catch her breath.  She fall in, the puppeteer slams the lid
> down  then leaves the stage to get Red.  On the sound track was a
> muffled grandma=92s voice, beating the lid and calling out, =93Let me out!
> Let me out.=94  The wolf leaps on top of the trunk and sang a song about
> how it=92s terrible to be a wolf!  He hears Red knock on the door and he
> runs, jumps in the bed and the puppeteer puts a lacy  night  cap on his
> head.
>
> When Red knocks again, in his gruff grand motherly voice, he tells her
> to come in.  Of course the usual, =93Oh grandmother what big ears you
> have!=94 routine continues until the wolf leaps out of bed and chases Red
> through the audience. They return to the stage, grandmother leaps out 
> of
> the trunk and admonishes the wolf for attacking her grand daughter.
> There has been such excitement from the audience being brought into the
> action it makes perfect sense when the wolf cries out, =93Oh, I give up!=94
> he sits down=94  The grandmother says, =93You mean you won=92t be a problem
> any longer?=94  The wolf whimpers, =93No, I=92m just hungry, I want to be 
> fed,
> I could be a really good watch dog if you want!=94 And grandmother then
> says he can stay.  The three break into a n original rendition of A
> Happy Happy Birthday written by Forman Brown of Turnabout Theater.  The
> three march in a circle around the clapping audience to the rhythm and
> the puppets disappear back stage.
>
> Everyone=92s happy, no one actually was eaten, no animals were hurt 
> during
> the production and I suggest you not try this at home.  For years after
> our rehearsals, neighbors kept chanting, =93Let me Out, Let me Out!=94  
> They
> thought I was some kind of serial monster! LOL
>
> Charles
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Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre
319 N. Calhoun, POB 330
West Liberty, IA. 52776
http://www.puppetspuppets.com

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