“The Frog Prince” from Germany, “Three Billy Goats Gruff” from Scandinavia and “The Three Little Pigs” from England are each told in the production of “The 3 Little Pigs and More.”
Grey Seal Puppets, a Charlotte-based puppeteer company made up of just three people, will be hitting Atlanta next week, with performances running today through Sept. 23.
“We wanted to stage a collection of oral tradition stories from around the world,” said Drew Allison, puppeteer at Grey Seal Puppets, who actually directs and performs this particular show by himself.
“I enjoy performing the show, polishing the puppets’ movements and doing all of the characters’ voices live,” he said. “This keeps the show fresh and fun.”
Allison’s characters include “the Wobblies,” the Frog Prince, three Billy goats, a troll, “the Blockheads,” as well as a dancing ant.
“Grey Seal Puppets is one of the very best companies in the USA,” said Jon Ludwig, of Decatur, the center’s artistic director. “They have been performing at the Center for Puppetry Arts since 1985.”
Ludwig said Allison is a “superb puppeteer and entertainer,” and his shows are always crowd pleasers with appropriate humor for both adults and children.
Allison said “The 3 Little Pigs & More” is geared toward families.
“The performance works on many different levels, with different ages taking away different things, including adults,” he said. “As always is the case with the Center for Puppetry Arts, we are expecting a great turnout.”
The show includes a variety of puppet styles, with a total of 28 puppets, including hand puppets, mouth puppets and rod puppets.
“There is a wide range of music used in the performance, ranging from Kabalevsky’s ‘The Comedians’ Suite’ to percussion music by Karl Orff,” Allison said.
Ludwig said Allison never fails to fully engage his audience in his performances.
“In between each story are these wonderful nonverbal skits that keep the action going. I really like Drew’s sense of humor and his warm way of telling the stories,” Ludwig said. “This show features three tales. So, you get three times the fun.”
If you go
o What: “The 3 Little Pigs and More”
o When: Today through Sept. 23, Wednesdays through Fridays at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m., and Sundays at 1 and 3 p.m.
o Where: The Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St., Midtown
o Tickets: Patrons 2 and older are $9.25 for members and $16.50 for non-members
o Information: (404) 873-3391 or www.puppet.org/perform/3littlepigs.shtml
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