| Grego
Musical Puppets |
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*Puppets that play music* |
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| *puppets
that are
instruments* |
*instruments
that
are
puppets*
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| Miss
Sakura, Grego, and Junior Welcome to Gregoland. The intersection of musical performance, puppetry, and theatrical shenanigans forms fertile ground here. |
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| The
instruments, music, and puppets are all either traditional,
or original creations rooted in folk tradition. Several historical forms of one-man-band enliven tunes
from the
thirteenth century to the present on instruments ranging from elegant
to fanciful to downright silly. But, as if a one-man-band were not enough, the instruments become puppets, or are played by them. Puppets dance and perform to the accompaniment of music played live, in real time, by the solo performer. Some of this stuff is for adults, some for children, but most of it is for everyone. The universal languages of sound and image invite smiles not only from all ages, but from anywhere in the world where people like to smile. |
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The
duration of the performance is flexible. Musical
vignettes, sometimes as short as two minutes, stack up to suit the
occasion. It's kind of a patchwork of fun and folk culture, as
are the pants that sometimes apear in the show. Coming
from various places along the Grego road, each hand-sewn patch is like
a page in a journal. In the top photo you could still see some of the
original denim britches. That was in the early '90's... This show has been road-tested in a dozen countries, illuminated TV screens in six of them, contributed to radio programming in some, (how many puppet shows can say that?), and animated arts festivals in many a land. Yet those trousers still seem to need a fresh patch. |
If my ferrets don't learn some manners soon... |
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I'll need to start patching my skin up too! |
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