The Nativity

Posted on by Thor

I went to the final dress rehearsal for the Nativity at
Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater in the Altamonte Mall. It was a few days before
Christmas and the Mall was overrun with shoppers. I had to drive up and down
about ten parking isles before I finally found a spot in the parking garage
next to the movie theater. There was panic and road rage among the cars
searching for spots. It was a freezing cold night and I added my windbreaker to
my arsenal of coats. The security gate was closed when I found Pinocchio’s. I
went to the backdoor entrance and started firing of texts to people I hoped
were inside. With no return texts, I decided I might have to sketch the theater
from the children’s play area. I set up my stool and was about to start
sketching when I saw Sean Keohane open the gate to get in the theater. I
scrambled, gathering my supplies and I ran to the theater just as he started
lowering the gate. He saw me and reversed the motor.

Puppeteers were given dark olive green long sleeved shirts
which would help blend them into the background as they worked the rod puppets
designed by Jane Henson. Sarah Lockhard who plays the Virgin Mary wasn’t at the
beginning of the rehearsal, so the smaller puppets used in the actual nativity
scene rehearsed several run-throughs of that scene. Sean boomed out his lines
as the voice of God from the back of the theater. God speaks in Latin, it turns
out. Herod hatched his evil plot to kill the new born King using the three
Kings as his henchmen. Joseph was shocked when he discovered Mary was pregnant
and he understandably doubts her story of divine birth. He still vows to
protect his young bride.

My favorite part of the play is when a banner is waved
majestically over the manger. The puppeteer looks up at the banner making it
wave in slow motion as if in a breeze using two rods. It is the puppeteer’s
concentration and complete absorption in the process that I admire, and this
was one moment where the puppeteer was in plain sight. Three musicians
performed live, playing medieval music. The rest of the puppeteers remained
hidden behind the stage front and faux rock work. They  had knee pads on, yet several times I heard
loud thumps back stage. Edna Bland iced her leg from one of those bumps
during a break. There were two weeks of these back breaking rehearsals for two
performances. Art isn’t easy.

The Nativity Rehearsal

Posted on by Thor

I went to the Henson’s Pineloch warehouse on December 12th to sketch a rehearsal of The Nativity. Rehearsals were held most weeknights for two weeks from about 7:30 to 10pm. All of those rehearsals were for two performances on December 22 at Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater in the Altimonte Mall. The oldest story in Christian history was made new in this retelling with live music, and the gorgeous puppets from IBEX Puppetry and the Jim Henson Company. This puppet production was spearheaded by Jane Henson, the wife of Jim Henson of Muppet’s fame.  Jane helped Jim in the early days of television production but then abandoned puppetry to raise her family. He youngest daughter, Heather Henson helped her bring this production to life.

The warehouse was cavernous, filled with boxes and bins full of foam, fabric and assorted puppet parts.  There were woodworking benches and large kites suspended from the ceiling. If you were to imagine Santa’s toy factory, this would fit the bill. I decided to sit behind the table where the performing puppets were stored. Gabriel with his gossamer wings dominated the table. A dark sinister and conniving Herod stood beside him, visible through his transparent wings. Mary, Joseph and the three kings also waited to begin their performances. A train rumbled by adding an industrial edge to this period piece.

From this angle, I could see the puppeteers who had to crouch down behind the stage setting to stay out of the future audience’s view. Sean Keohane, the director corralled the cast and explained how important the telling of the story would be. It was something parents could share with there children. Sarah Lockhard worked with the Virgin Mary rod puppet. Her face expressed every emotion as she moved the puppet. It was fascinating watching actors become lost in the subtle performers.  The word, marionette, 
means “tiny Mary” and  was derived from the puppets used in medieval mystery
and miracle plays.

The Nativity Story

Posted on by Thor

As I drove North on I-4 I got nervous about going to Pinocchio’s Puppet Theater since I figured the Altamonte Mall must be packed since it was the last shopping weekend before Christmas. Surprisingly it was easy to find parking and it wasn’t too crowded in the mall. When I got to Pinocchio’s I slipped in past the velvet rope. Sarah Lockhard and Heather Henson were manipulating several puppets, just finishing up a rehearsal. Along the side wall of the theater there was a trio of medieval performers with recorders, a vi0lin and mandolin. They were the Olde Noyse Trio. The recorder player glanced over at me while I sketched. He said, “Your Tom aren’t you? I played recorders with your wife Terry.”

The puppet show began with the annunciation as an angel appeared before Mary telling her she would immaculately conceive a child. The Mary puppet was manipulated by Sarah Lockhard who panted in surprise upon seeing the angel. Mary was no more than a foot high. Joseph who was much older than Mary had a difficult time believing Mary was with child. The truth was reveled in a dream. Some children squirmed, not understanding all aspects of the story.

When the Nativity Story was complete, Sean Keohane stood at the set alter an announced that they would set up the manger scene again so children could get a closer look, and parents could take pictures. A little boy shouted out, “I want to see the baby!” When I inspected the puppets up close, a pupeteer took one of the three Magi’s and she started lifting his skirt. “This is my favorite part.” she said. Neatly sewn on the Magi’s butt was a cloth label that read, Jim Henson’s Workshop.