Bob Baker’s Holiday on Strings!

Playhouse Live now has their third Bob Baker Marionette Theatre show. Like the previous Halloween-themed show in October, this classic show is timed for holidays – this time the winter ones! The show is called Holiday on Strings!

A wizard takes Demetrius Nova Twinklestar III on a whirlwind tour of the holiday galaxies. Amongst the locations on their itinerary are Santa’s workshop, the world of Charles Dickens (author of A Christmas Carol), a Hannukah celebration, a visit from a certain reindeer with a red nose and some charming and endearing North Pole animals.

There are several things that make these shows from the imagination of the late Bob Baker so magical.

First is that he always knew he was appealing to children of all ages. The shows are always appropriate for all ages, but you can often find little references that will certainly sail above the younger viewers and straight into the hearts of adults.

Secondly, he used music very creatively. You won’t necessarily hear the most popular or even best recordings of a given song, but you will always heart the right recording for the sequence being performed.

Thirdly, the performances remove the barrier between the puppets, the performers and the audience. The floor was the stage and the audience is part of that stage. That makes the puppets tangible, doesn’t hide that they are being manipulated and that combination always put smiles on the faces of those in the audience, particularly those lucky enough to have one of these magical puppets interact with them.

Which leads to the last, and perhaps most important, reason these shows succeed. The marionettes, all made by Baker and his team in his studio, are simply without equal. The puppeteers certainly give life to the marionettes, but they were imbued with tremendous spirit from the moment they were first created.

Holiday on Strings! was filmed in front of a live audience (no doubt pre-pandemic). The rental fee is $14.99.

On a separate note, the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre is facing possible closure. The theatre was established in 1963 and has provided millions of children and adults countless hours of pleasure (myself included in grade school and later again as an adult). They recently moved out of their long-time location into a new space in Highland Park. If you are interested in reading more about BBMT and/or making donation, please go here.

Photo by Lisa Whiteman/Courtesy PlayhouseLive