Puppets performing Shakespeare plays Posted by Furfaces on Dec 07, 2013
Hello everyone, been a long time since I've posted. A friend of mine from puppet class has cool concept, creating Shakespeare plays performed with stuff animals.

Also here is some of her sweet puppet skills. I think its a good mouth sync. Cheese performing "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor  
Re: Puppets performing Shakespeare plays Posted by C16thFoxe on Dec 10, 2013
As a Medieval/Renaissance puppeteer, I really would have liked to like this. Unfortunately, the characters lack the degree of gravitas necessary to carry it off (especially such a witty, machine-gun fire comedy as "Much Ado"). YMMV.  
Re: Puppets performing Shakespeare plays Posted by Furfaces on Dec 11, 2013
Hey C16thFoxe, thanks for showing interest in the project. Sorry you didn't like it. This is just the trailer. To my knowledge, in the play each character is going to be voiced by different actors. She's worked pretty hard, so I'm sure the performances coming soon will be far greater than the audition vids.
Re: Puppets performing Shakespeare plays Posted by C16thFoxe on Dec 12, 2013
It's not so much the voicing, but rather the choice of stuffed animals representing the leads that I did not like.

Throughout "Much Ado" there are numerous metaphors involving the taming of wild animals (falcons, wild bulls, et cetera) alluding to the social taming which must happen before two wild souls can commit to love and marriage. I can appreciate what Christina is attempting here but the casting seems somewhat odd (although I suppose an ape as Benedick could work.)

Have you read any of Stan Sakai's "Usagi Yojimbo" comic books? Sakai uses furry animals to tell a series of heroic/serious/comic tales set in C16th feudal Japan. It shouldn't work, but it does; because the characters (rabbits, foxes, bears, dogs, et cetera) are imbued with a very believable gravitas (weight, authority, dignity). Their natural animal abilities mimic human foibles, hence the believability.

I also suspect that small stuffed animals might not work all that well. For example: I operate traditional glove/hand puppets (12-14 inches high) and work live, so there is some small distance between the booth and my audience. They do not particularly notice that a character's mouth is not moving when they speak (well, they probably do, but it's all to do with the suspension of disbelief we strive to achieve). A vblog, on the other hand, is really very up close and personal; so, for me, watching a character deliver its lines and not moving its lips meant I really struggled to suspend disbelief.

I will continue to keep an eye out on the project and please let Christina know I wish her every success.  
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