We presented 15 performances of “The Wonderland Trial: The Case of the Crushed Cucumber” at the NC Pickle Festival in Mount Olive. There were huge crowds in attendance. It was a joy seeing happy faces on children and adults alike.
Puppeteers today were Dennis Listermann-Vierling, Keith Phillips, and Cyndi Papia.
We set up our tent directly in front of the library. Our first puppet show was at 9:30. A.M. We laid out mats in front of the stages for children to sit to watch the show. Our puppet tent was located along a row of vendors.
The streets of Mt. Olive teamed with crowds of enthusiastic pickle lovers. Dennis roamed about ringing the bell to announce upcoming shows.
The Queen of Hearts herself gave an introduction to spectators at the opening of each performance.
In Act I, Alice’s mother announces Alice has to pack up, the family is leaving the country to return to London. Alice is saddened. This was the first time we used the mother puppet, a redressed Pelham marionette.
Alice picks some mushrooms and eats them. The mushroom causes Alice to fall asleep.
In Act II, Alice wakes up in Wonderland and finds herself shrunk down. She finds herself before the caterpillar and learns she is on trial for crushing a cucumber.
A butterfly accused Alice of stepping on a cucumber. The cuke will never become a pickle.
The Queen of Hearts interrupts the judicial proceedings. She has a witness! Mister Frog appears. He sings a song and exonerates Alice. Afterward,
Alice wakes up to discover her parents will linger in the country and she won’t have to return to London to the autumn.
Dennis demonstrate how marionettes operate. Children posed afterwards to be photographed with Mister Frog.
On their way back to New Bern, the puppeteers stopped in Kinston to eat supper at Pizza Villa.
