Marionettes blended perfect balance of emotion

Joseph Cashore was right when he told us his puppet show was like no other.

His superb creations were full of life both physically and emotionally and at times seemed to defy gravity.

The Cashore Marionettes, part of the Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts, was made up of 13 little sections each using a different marionette and setting.

For me the elephant scene was the standout section. For a start, the craftmanship used to make the animal was phenomenal — the detail was so fine that you could see the veins in its great ears and the ribs through its drooping underbelly.

Aside from that it was a moving piece with an important message about how man is losing touch with the natural world.

Another popular piece with the audience was about a young girl whose mother has told her to go to her room and do her homework before bed time. ‘Sarah’ goes to her room and does everything but open her books — playing with her toys, dancing to music and generally procrastinating.

The dexterity and co-ordination needed to pull this show was mind-boggling. These puppets had at least 20 strings each and Joseph would swap scross strings and dismantle parts of the structure seamlessly as he made the puppets do a multitude of complicated actions. The elephant for instance, picked up a piece of fruit with its trunk and flung it right into its mouth.

At one point in the show, a skit about a horse, Joseph did get his strings in a tangle. He slipped off stage for a few seconds and he was straight back in action.

Each section had its own charm from the grieving lady visiting her husband’s grave to the rockstar testing his little amp to the limit.

The show was well balanced — with a blend of humour, grief, sadness and tenderness.