"The Hobbit" (Children's)
There’s children’s theater, and there’s children’s
theater infused by the talents of Cory Gilstrap.
Colorado’s master puppeteer and his team of so-called “paduans” have created a plethora of wonderful, larger-than-life Bunraku-style puppets that elevate Backstage Theatre’s original adaptation of “The Hobbit” to a magical if all-too-brief experience for all ages.
“Puppets” seems an inadequate term to describe Gilstrap’s dynamic creations. There are three giant trolls whose heads nearly scrape the sky – or in this case, the Breckenridge theater’s roof. There is a spider larger than your average 8-year-old (and much cuter than the arthropods in your cubby hole). And there is the coup de grace, the 17-foot fiery dragon who battles protagonist Bilbo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic “legendarium” that precedes “The Lord of the Rings.”
Bunraku is an 11th-century form of Japanese puppet theater. Because of the Japanese belief that our ancestors exist among us, the puppets are manipulated by “ghostly” (though completely visible) puppeteers who manipulate all sorts of ingenious controls, adeptly maneuvered here by four cast members.
Gilstrap employed some of the same techniques with puppets for Curious’ “The Long Christmas Ride Home” in 2004.
This take on “The Hobbit” is written by and stars Backstage artistic director Christopher Willard, to whom performing in children’s theater comes as instinctively as thumb-sucking to a toddler.
Willard secured a $4,000 grant for the creation of these puppets. It’s worth it. Without them, it’s just not the same.
Bilbo Baggins (Willard) is, of course, “uncle” to Frodo (played by J.P. Devine). Uncle is happily living a safe, sedentary, dull life in Middle-earth when wizard pal Gandalf the Grey (a deceptively gray Jason Tersterman) arrives on the eve of Bilbo’s 111th birthday. Together they recount for young Frodo and pals the story of Bilbo’s one great adventure from long ago, when the hobbit became first bearer of “the ring.”
His mission was to slay the magnificent dragon monster Smaug and retrieve the dwarves’ gold. We go back with Bilbo to when he fulfilled his destiny as “the reluctant burglar,” and in doing so conquered all manner of adventurous challenges.
“The Hobbit” marks Denver actor Geoff Kent’s directorial debut. He’s better known for starring in Score Marketing’s “Urinetown” and serving as the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s fight director. But he brings an inventive sense of wonder and “why not?” spirit that imbues the storytelling with freshness. He gets great help from lighting designer Jacob Welch and Willard on sound effects, but most wonderful is his changing sense of proportion (such as when a miniaturized dragon takes flight).
All this should engage and impress “Lord of the Rings” fans of any age. The creatures may be a little too scary for the under-6 set, but for all others, this adorable prequel is a perfect introduction to children’s theater.
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
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