By Jasmine Putney
Below lies a world with perfectly sculpted faces and false legs that dance. A blissful dream in which almost anything is possible.
But this world is punctured by a strategic system of wiry connections. And above these intrusive strings exists the masterfully manipulating hands of the puppeteer.
On Saturday, the Old Capitol Museum will host the Don Quixote Puppet Show at 1:30 p.m. in the Senate Chamber, performed by Edgar Wibble Puppets.
The performance is in coordination with the museum’s exhibit Illustrations of Don Quixote: Interpretation of Imagination, which features a variety of pictorial depictions of the famous literary character Don Quixote ranging from 1687-1933.
Kathrine Moermond, the education and outreach coordinator for the Old Capitol, said she marvels at Don Quixote’s ability to eradicate her initial uninterest.
“Had I been asked seven or eight months ago to read Don Quixote, to get into this story, I probably would have laughed and thought, ‘That is a very old book and what kind of connection would I have with that?’ ” she said.
Apparently a lot. Though more than 400 years old, people can still see themselves as Sancho Panza or Don Quixote, Moermond said.
“This adventuresome person who may see the danger in things in but try it out anyway, I think I may have been a little inspired by that,” she said. “It may not work out, but you try it anyway and have fun with whatever happens.”
Even the youngest of children at the puppet show will be able to appreciate Don Quixote’s significance, Moermond said.
Don Quixote of La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes, the first volume of which was originally published in 1605, is now widely considered the first Western novel. The story chronicles the comical and often unorthodox adventures of Don Quixote, an aspiring knight, and his friend Sancho Panza.
Katharine Cushing, Edgar Wibble puppeteer, said she is excited to add her troupe’s interpretation of the book and hopes to tell a story all ages can enjoy.
“Puppetry is very much like magic in the sense that you spin reality,” she said. “We don’t work at making things look real, we just ask the audience go along with it and participate. And honestly, we don’t even ask that, they just do.”
Edgar Wibble Puppets, which builds all its own puppets, has been performing since 2007. Marionettes — string puppets — were created for this show.
Because the novel is approximately 900 pages long, Cushing said, they spent a lot of time condensing the story. They aimed to focus the story on the chivalrous legend of Don Quixote rather than his insanity.
“Obviously, he’s got his quirks in our story, too, but the theme that he’s well-meaning and he’s trying to be a knight with old-fashioned values really runs through it,” she said.
Edgar Wibble puppeteer William Cushing said the troupe stripped the plot down to the concept of reality versus imagination. As puppeteers, they will echo this theme by not hiding behind a stage or curtain during the performance. So the audience will have the option of watching the real-life of the puppeteers or just the fantasy world of the puppets.
“With one foot in reality and one foot as a dreamer, you can make the world a better place,” he said.
THEATER
What: Don Quixote Puppet Show
When: 1:30p.m. Saturday
Where: Old Capitol Senate Chamber
Admission: Free