All of the CGI special effects in movies over the years has put a bad taste in my mouth. Even on a 2D screen, you just can't beat real space. I'd much rather see a
slightly stiff and somewhat immobile Yoda than a Yoda who is so CGI'd
out, he looks like a freakin' cartoon.
And, as a side note, I am pretty embarrassed that I just referenced Star Wars.
Anyway, my point is, puppets are cool.
And it sounds like there are some amazing puppets coming to the Phoenix Symphony.
Basil Twist and his puppeteers were in town last year performing
Petrushka with the Phoenix Symphony. This year, they'll be manipulating
dramatic, life size puppets in a "puppet-opera" based on the antics of
Don Quixote.
The team will be working with Bunraku-style and rod puppets. Don't
know what Bunraku-style means? That's okay. Neither did I.
Bunraku
originated in Japan and it's a style in which three puppeteers are
required for each puppet. They remain in plain sight of the
audience. Rod puppets are pretty self-explanatory: the puppet parts
move with the help of attached rods that the puppeteers control.
All of this puppet action will unfold as the Phoenix Symphony plays music by composers Silvestre Revuelta and Gabriela Lena Frank.
And there won't be any cartoon Yodas (thank God).
Concerts run at Symphony Hall from January 14-16, check showtimes and buy tickets at www.phoenixsymphony.org or call 601-495-1999.
