The Midnight Diaries of Catty Wampus

(note: this post is part of the Here Come The Puppets category here at the Midnight Diaries. Be sure to check out the full category for other selections from this spectacular program)

“Here Come The Puppets!” was the title of a one hour PBS special hosted by Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog. I had this program on VHS tape when I was a kid, and although the tape has been lost over the years, I recently found someone online who made me a digital copy of the program. There is so much craft and skill from all over the world in this one-hour overview of the festival! I want to share some of the eye-opening performances with you.

Okay–now, you animators out there, I know you want to see something awesome. So check this out:

(it’s about 30mb, but worth every second of the loading time, I promise you)

This is Shari Lewis, an extraordinary puppeteer and a mainstay of children’s entertainment for decades. The performance is from 1980 at the UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionette) Festival–the puppetry festival’s 13th year, but the first time it was ever held in the United States.

Incidentally, I don’t know why it took 13 years to bring the festival stateside, but I would guess that it has something to do with how we view puppetry in our culture. We tend to think puppets existing solely in the realm of younger audiences; in other countries around the world, puppets entertain not only children, but also adult audiences with deep and complex stories with mature themes and subject matter. This alone is enough to make many American animators feel a kinship with puppetteers. But the similarities only begin there.

There is so much to be impressed by in this four minute clip. The most obvious thing, I think, is Lewis’s ventriloquism. It’s flawless, isn’t it? And while it takes a heaping amount of skill to pull off this kind of thing, there is much more going on here than there appears to be on the surface.

I recently heard an old interview with Frank Oz. He mentioned that most Muppet fans were excited to learn that he was the voice of Bert, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and so many other familiar characters. And he was always happy to accept the fans’ enthusiasm. However he also stressed that performing with a puppet is much more than doing a voice. Puppetry is acting. Puppetry is taking an inanimate object and making an audience believe that the puppet is a living, breathing soul with thoughts and emotions of its own. (once again, animators, does this sound familiar)

Assuming you haven’t already, watch the Shari Lewis clip again. Tell me, is there a moment when you don’t believe that Lambchop is a living and thinking creature? I can’t find even a second when there appears to be only one person in front of the microphone. There are always two distinct characters: Shari Lewis and Lambchop. It’s all in the details, and I want to take a close look at three particular details that blow my mind here.

“Ladies and Gentlemen…” Shari Lewis says, and then Lambchop parenthetically adds “I love this” before the introduction continues. I can just imagine how much attention was paid to the rehearsal and performance of this moment. Notice that Shari Lewis is looking the other direction when Lambchop speaks to the audience, and then how she acknowledges Lambchop with a quick glance as if she hadn’t expected the little lamb to speak in the middle of the introduction. Think about how much that contributes to the illusion of two people on stage! You can see little bits like this throughout the entire four-minute clip. And while it seems spontaneous, I’m almost certain that it takes years and years of observation and practice to incorporate this little throw-away moment into your performance. Think of the hours spent crafting and perfecting this tiny little gesture, just so that the performance would be all that more believable.

Here’s another:

Now clearly, Lambchop has not actually spit into Shari’s face. And Shari is not actually been surprised that Lambchop punctuated the word “supporting” so harshly. But every movement in Shari’s neck, head, and face says “Oh my, I didn’t expect you to nearly attack me with spittle.” The moment is even sweetened by the split-second glance she gives to the audience, as if to say “Can you believe she just did that?? How rude!” Once again, this tiny moment furthers the illusion that there are two separate personalities playing off each other up on stage, rather than just one person whose gestures and vocalizations have been tightly choreographed.

One more, similar to the first and just as subtle:

Here’s another:

She thanks her own hand! Do you see that?? Look at the way Lambchop picks up her head, then notices that the microphone has swung a little too far from Shari’s mouth and then adjusts it. This is, essentially, a technical problem–how do you adjust a microphone when you have no use of your hands? (and it wasn’t until this very moment that I recognized that Shari Lewis’s hands are completely hidden and useless the entire time–consider that!) Having Lambchop adjust the mic’s position and then thanking Lambchop is an eloquent and wonderfully transparent way of making sure the audience is never distracted from the illusion.

Now, if you’re so inclined, go back to the top of this post and watch the entire performance again. I haven’t even gotten in to the song, which is brilliant. Find all of those moments that are a testament to Shari Lewis’s talent at bringing Lambchop to life. If you want to be even more impressed, think about how limited Lambchop is as a puppet: the only parts the puppeteer can control are her mouth and, kinda, her eyes–her arms and legs just stick out there, moving only as a reaction to what the rest of her body is doing. Think about that the next time you feel that you can’t animate a good scene with a limited character rig.

There will be more discussion on limited puppetry in the next “Here Come The Puppets” post, so stay tuned!