Monday, March 28, 2011
theater 'Stinky Cheese Man' teaches preschoolers post-modernism
Posted by Curt Holman @Curt_Holman on Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 1:52 PM
In book form, The Stinky Cheese Man offers beginning readers a taste of satire and post-modernist narrative trickery. The authors not only short-circuit the traditional happy endings, they scramble the usual book structure, so the Little Red Hen, for instance, barges in before her story begins. Paul Mesner Puppets follows the fractured framework as closely as possible as Jack, of the Beanstalk fame (operated by Mike Horner) attempts to read the book's "fairly stupid" versions of traditional fairy tales and nursery rhymes, which either reach anticlimaxes or fail to end altogether. One tale comes to a sudden conclusion when the Table of Contents collapses on the characters, while the characters of another story storm out when Jack gives away the ending.
In a parody of "The Gingerbread Man," "The Stinky Cheese Man" jumps from an oven and taunts his neighbors to "run, run as fast as you can" to catch him. Here, however, the others would just as soon let the odiferous imp run off unhindered. Horner and his co-performer Gabby Baculi invest the puppets with plenty of brash, engaging personality. Horner gives the Stinky Cheese Man an obnoxiously perky voice and a swiveling gait when he runs.
Parents might be able to anticipate the twist endings of stories with titles like "The Other Frog Prince" and "The Really Ugly Duckling," but should make sure their kids have heard the storybook originals so they can appreciate the joke. Replacing "happy ever after" endings with "fairly stupid" ones gives a cautionary quality to stories that rely on wish fulfillment. While Cinderella learns that fairy godmother can make wishes come true, "Cinderumplestiltskin" learns the cost of having unrealistic expectations. Even if such lessons go over kids' heads, they'll still enjoy the slapstick and silliness, although middle schoolers might be a little old for it.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales could be considered an introduction to fairy tale satire, a gateway before taking children to see, say, Shrek the Musical next month and then the Alliance Theatre's Into the Woods this fall. Just make sure that young ones have gotten plenty of non-ironical enjoyment out of the classics before you start messing with their heads.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. Through April 10. The Center for Puppetry Arts, Downstairs Theater, 1404 Spring St. $9-$16. 404.873.3391. www.puppet.org
Comments (1)
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I LOVED Stinky Cheese Man as a kid. That might say something about how I am as an adult...
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