Back Story
Chicago the Musical is about muderess Roxie Hart. It is done in Vaudeville style, where every song is a tribute to a style of vaudeville.

SO this musical is a little new to me too, but there is a certain song that main character Billy Flynn sings "We Both Reached For The Gun"  
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It's a "ventriloquist" act where Roxie's Lawyer (Billy) is basically minipulating Roxie. Usually for the shows they use the actress as the ventriloquist or they tie strings on her and hang them above.

Why I'm telling you here!
So my high school is doing Chicago and I'm to audition. I thought I would stand out a little more by making a puppet of Roxie and talking to "her". Now the only thing is that what kind of puppet should I make? I have the Glorified Sock Puppet, but i feel it would be a little too small. She would have to be a full body puppet so I'm going to have to buy the feet/leg pattern from Project Puppet soon. Another thing is I have the Roly pattern but I feel like I wouldn't be able to look "realistic" enough for the puppet.

How YOU can help!
Any thing that might look realistic or characterized for the puppet?
Maybe make two versions?
Anything that might help me make my first full body puppet?
Maybe a pattern with foam base to add more features?

PS The Musical Theatre Chair once asked me about my puppetry and asked me to make his granddaughter a puppet. I used the Roly pattern for this. SO he likes my puppets and has a good respect for OUR art of puppetry.

Thank you all so much for taking your time and reading my problem.

Check out puppets that attach to your feet and body. I think that could work well for what you want, because you can make them lifesize, and don't have to be too complicated.

... I thought I had a link to a picture which would have been useful, but I can't seem to find it. If I do, I'll post it.

Here is a picture in the gallery by our very own jlucci of a full body life size puppet like Na was talking about.   This one is controlled by two folks but you can do it with one.

hmm, personally i think the roly is the most 'human-like' pattern in the simple series at project puppet (although, dont take what i say too seriously, ive never used a project puppet pattern)

Thank you for the idea of really full body puppet but I wanted to make more of a Ventriloquist Dummy because it's referenced in the musical.

Then avoid using a muppet-type pattern and build an actual vent doll instead... ?

But I can't do vent dolls.  And the entire thing about the song is that the audience to KNOW that Billy Flynn is singing the responses of Roxie. So you definitley see his mouth moving. While I'm here I should tell you that I don't like the way vent puppets look either. So any other advice. apart from that I'm open to ideas for "realistic" puppet qualities the puppet should have such as a nose and ears! I already have the light-yellow fleece! ANd a really nice doll wig that I got when my little sister broke the doll and tried to throw it all away!

Why is it so important that you need it to be realistic?  Puppets are easily bought into even if they don't look realistic....sometimes it is better when they have a cartoony feel to them.  I find at times that realistic puppets look creepy but that might just be me.

It really comes down to how you operate the puppet and if the character is believable.

I would then go for a foam style puppet with legs maybe is your best bet.

Daryl H

Well it doesn't have to be realistic, but have a "human" feel. Like the human puppets that DrPuppet makes are a perfect example of what I kinda want. Of course she will be covered in Fleece and have Doll hair.

And I agree realistic puppets look creepy! That's why I don't like Vent puppets or "dummies"

This is why I don't understand - puppets can look like anything. Just because Shawn posted a pic of an example puppet doesn't mean that *kind* of puppet can't look realistic.

Perhaps it would be easier to work this way around: figure out your choreography for the audition first. Then figure out what the puppet needs to do. Then design the puppet based on that; aesthetics comes later.

I would think that the director will be more interested in the quality of your performance, than of the aesthetics of the puppet. Don't forget they will have their own vision of how to stage the musical, and may be distracted by the puppet itself (they should be watching you, not the puppet).

My two cents anyway...