PULLING YOUR STRINGS

Why puppets are having a moment.

Photo by Volha Milovich on Unsplash

Happy August, friends!

You may have noticed that I took last week off from my newsletter. It was the first dark week in over a year, and between camp drop-off and an upstate getaway, I tried to unplug for a week and recharge my batteries.

That said, I also had a milestone moment and couldn’t wait to share my exciting news! Last week, I officially signed with an agent!!!!!! I’m so honored to have had interest from a few different agencies, and I truly felt Jud Laghi Agency connected with my work, got my references, and, hopefully, will be able to sell my literary thriller. Signing with an agent is a real milestone- and has taken years (and the writing of two books) to get to this point. It’s a long road towards publication and I am trying to celebrate all the goal posts along the way. So, hurray!!!!! I will continue updating you all on the process, but right now, suffice it to say, I’m celebrating.

Now onto puppets.

Recently, I’ve been noticing an uptick in puppets and puppet-adjacent works in popular culture, which makes a lot of sense since historically they’ve served as both entertainers and provocateurs. This summer alone, I met one puppeteer and separately, learned a friend’s girlfriend worked in puppetry. It makes sense in these strange times because puppets can convey complex emotions and ideas in ways that are often more accessible and engaging than traditional human performances. Through the whimsical and sometimes surreal nature of puppets, creators can explore themes of identity, morality, and society with a layer of detachment that invites audiences to reflect deeply on these issues. Think Pee-wee’s Playhouse or political satires like Spitting Image.

Moreover, puppets can address the shadow side of the human experience. They can safely and creatively explore darker themes, fears, and taboos that might be controversial. By using puppets, creators can delve into anxieties and personal insecurities while maintaining distance— and audiences can engage with uncomfortable or complex subjects in a less threatening way.

From a TV show, a new restaurant, an off-Broadway show, retail, and a VT summer tradition, here are some puppet-centric suggestions.

Photo: @frogclubnyc

Frog Club

If you’ve been keeping up with all the “chefs behaving badly” in the world, then you’ll recall the Los Angeles restaurant, Horses, whose husband-and-wife co-owners split up with Liz Johnson accusing Will Aghajanian of abuse, and killing their cats. Chef Liz retreated to New York where she opened the uber-exclusive, Frog Club, a restaurant so impossible to get into that literally no one could get a table. No listed phone number, no online reservations, no Instagram information, no photos allowed (they actually put a sticker over your phone camera as you enter), and thus, no customers. So, yes, it is possible to be TOO exclusive. The investors balked, and now reservations are widely available on Resy. We went last week for my father-in-law’s birthday, and the experience was… weird! An incredible frog mural coats the walls, plates, paintings, and chains hanging from the ceiling in some weird kind of S&M food fever dream, and strangest of all, frog puppets and stuffed animals sit in random empty seats. The entire decor is a bit perverse but fun! The food is insane. My husband ordered a bail of hay (pasta cooked three ways but came out in a casserole dish) and a “Dirty Kermit” cocktail. My father-in-law ordered lobster perogies. And I ordered my summer meal of Caesar salad, french fries, and an ice-cold dirty martini. You won’t be surprised to discover that the olive’s toothpick was shaped like a frog foot.

Bill’s 44th

Keen-eyed readers of this newsletter will notice that this year I ramped up my theater attendance I’ve been seeing Broadway shows, off-Broadway shows, off-off-Broadway shows, and Summer Stock. This started mostly because my son is into theater and it’s been fun to support him. But imagine my surprise, when I realized that some performances literally can blow me away cerebrally (Job), emotionally (Illinoise), or spiritually (Bill’s 44th.) Bill’s 44th, an original puppet show, by Dorothy James and Andy Manjuck, was about a man waiting for guests to arrive for his 44th birthday party and presented at HERE. Nobody shows up for his birthday, and in a wordless, hilarious, performance Bill imagines guests to arrive (including one of his crudite come to life), but is also a meditation on the passage of time, and the joyful way we use it. Upcoming scheduled performances include the Edinburgh Fringe Festival through August 25, and Duke Arts in Durham, NC from February 28- March 2. If you’re in the area, go see it.

Eric

OK, Eric, a missing-child whodunit that premiered last spring is not an excellent show. The pacing is bad, the plot is trash, but the acting is incredible, and I liked that the show was trying to do something different, even if ultimately unsuccessful. Benedict Cumberbatch is the creator of a Sesame Street-type show, and when his son goes missing, he hits the bottle and becomes haunted by a ten-foot-tall monster puppet of his son’s imagination. Gaby Hoffman plays his exasperated wife. There are enough twists and turns to grip you in every episode, and visually, the show looks great. So, basically, if you’re up for something strange, but convoluted with themes and uneven pacing, give this one a try.

Photo: @leroysplace

Leroy’s Place

Chances are, if I’ve gotten you a gift in the last three years since I’ve lived in Park Slope, it’s come from Leroy’s Place, a puppet-maker-owned gift shop that sells artist-made and unique gifts. The vibe is very Pee Wee’s playhouse, but if Paul Rueben had made the show for weed-smoking adults instead of kids. It’s possible to find earrings in the shape of your favorite rock stars, bookmark whoopie cushions, tarot decks, and, of course, all manners of puppets. I learned from their website that they own the Park Slope shop, and another in New Orleans— as well as one of my favorite whimsical restaurants, Cafe Mars!

Photo: @breadandpuppet

Bread and Puppet

For years I’ve been trying to return to Bread and Puppet, a Vermont institution that I last attended in high school. Founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann in NYC, the festival moved to a barn in Glover, VT in 1974, where every year since they’ve held a lively summer festival. Known as one of the oldest political theater companies in the country, their work is probably more important now than ever since it is an election year. Tickets are only $10, and they won’t turn away anyone for lack of funds. So, if you’re looking for a last-minute way to close out summer, why not take a road trip? The festival runs through the end of August.