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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Madcap Puppets presented a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin for families at the Austintown library on June 13. The performers used a number of puppets for charcters throughout the play. Pictured, children Randi and Audrey Thomas posed for photos with Rumpelstiltskin and the Crazy Lady after the performance.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Madcap Puppets invited a mother up to the front to take on the role of Rose, the character in Rumpelstiltskin who spins straw into gold after making a deal with the titular character. The performers used British accents, which she returned in her lines in the play.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Actors Brandon Leatherland and Zach Robinson acted as most of the characters in the performance of Rumpelstiltskin. The pairing used odd and unique voices for each of the characters. Pictured, Leatherland holds up a puppet used as the miller in the play.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Performers Zach Robinson and Brandon Leatherland performed Rumpelstiltskin for the children at Austintown library. Their characters of Tarleton and Brunswick acted as the storytellers for the play, both adopting British accents. The play featured puppets, comedy, singing and dancing.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Madcap Puppets are a nonprofit group from Cincinnati. They perform various shows throughout the state and have more than 1,000 puppets to use. Many of their shows feature a large backpack puppet, such as The Crazy lady pictured. Actor Zach Robinson danced and sang while wearing the costume.
By ZACK SHIVELY
The Madcap Puppets performed a retelling of “Rumpelstiltskin” on June 13 at the Austintown library as a part of the PLYMC’s summer discovery programming.
Puppeteers and actors Brandon Leatherland and Zach Robinson performed the puppet show filled with a number of jokes, songs and dances. They had a show in the morning and in the afternoon at the library.
“You get to act like a complete weirdo,” said Leatherland about being apart of the Madcap Puppets. He said that he enjoys performing for children because they have the best energy. Robinson said that the children make him feel like a rock star.
The pair set up a castle backdrop with windows that they popped their heads out of to start the show. Leatherland took on the role of Brunswick and Robinson played Tarleton. They acted as the storytellers of the play, taking on British dialects and many other strange voices for the other characters in the play.
During the story, they used many creatively designed puppets, including a puppet for Rumpelstiltskin which had a loose top but connected to Leatherland’s feet. Robinson had set of two characters who spoke to each other as a pair. He carried each character on one hand so they could speak to each other. They also had the “Crazy Lady,” a giant backpack puppet Robinson wore.
They had puppets for each character aside from the Rose, the character who makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to turn straw into gold, and the king, who frees and marries Rose. For these characters, they brought up attendees. A mother from the audience played Rose and a child played the king.
The Madcap Puppets are a nonprofit children’s entertainment organization based in Cincinnati that began in 1981. The group does many touring shows and has over a thousand puppets. Each show they perform usually has a large backpack puppet.
Leatherland and Robinson both have training in theatre and began working with the group in May 2017. Robinson said he always wanted to work with puppets because he loved “The Muppets” as a child.