Sophie and I had a lovely mommy-daughter day with our neighbors. My friend has a daughter Sophie’s age and we took the girls to see “Cinderella.” Not the saccharin-sweet Disney version of Cinderella, but a terrific fractured fairy tale version of the story, in the form of a puppet show at the New Victory Theater performed by Shona Reppe Puppets.
I was a little apprehensive that Sophie would react negatively to the show, since the only Cinderella she knows is the blond-haired cartoon manifestation that makes her think of princesses and pretty dresses, and makes me want to puke. There was no need to worry, however. The Cinderella we saw today was irreverent and very, very funny.
Using a table with a drawer (Cinderella’s room) and cutouts on the surface that served as the front door, the fireplace, the dog house and the evil stepsisters’ bedroom, the set was simple yet incredibly inventive. Cinderella was a marionnette-like puppet. The puppeteer’s hands – covered in two different-colored gloves – played the roles of the evil stepsisters. There was no stepmother, only a stepfather who was alluded to in a bits of dialogue but never seen.
Sophie loved it. She laughed and clapped, and laughed some more. It was a great day.