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Bob Brown and his puppets take
the stage at The Puppet Company in Glen Echo Park at 10:30 and again at
11:30 on selected Tuesday mornings in programs specifically designed for
children up to age 4. Keeping the show short, tightly focused for young
minds and with an inclusive sense of charm, Brown changes puppets and topics
frequently and never seems to be talking down to even the youngest in the
audience. The characters he creates through puppetry are bright, fun and
interesting to young minds. The series, "Tiny Tot Tuesdays" will continue
through the rest of the year, running once or twice a month.
Storyline: In order to make the series work for repeat visits, the topic
of each half-hour performance is varied but the common thread is an
introduction to the types of puppets and the magic they can cast.
Brown has been in the puppet
business for over four decades, touring the eastern half of the country and
performing mostly in the local area at venues such as the Smithsonian's
Discovery Theater, Wolf Trap's Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods, National
Theatre and even the White House. While not all the "Tiny Tot Tuesdays" have
featured Brown, all of the remaining dates in 2007 will.
For the performance we reviewed,
Brown introduced the art of puppetry to the sold out house of children and
parents (capacity between 200 and 250 in a sit-on-the-floor configuration).
He created clown-related characters using hand puppets, mouth puppets and
marionettes, and put each through a simple but brightly humorous and
friendly routine. Even late in the half hour show, a quick glance around the hall
showed that about 80% of the kids faces were turned to the stage in rapt
attention. Brown knows how to keep the kids' interest.
The facility of the Puppet
Company is fine for a performance of this type with a small puppet stage set up in
front of the proscenium stage used for bigger shows for older kids. The
staff of the company is efficient and interacts in a friendly way with the
children. Then, of course, when the show is over parents (or grandparents)
and children have the rest of Glen Echo park to explore. Unfortunately, the
"Tiny Tot Tuesdays" coincide with the day that the Carousel doesn't operate
- but it isn't a bad idea to save something for the next visit to the park. |
