The Center for Puppetry Arts has debuted a new stage production, bringing a beloved children’s book to life for Atlanta audiences.
“The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales,” based on the 1992 literary work by Jon Scieszka that reimagines classic fairy tales through parodies and mashups, made its world premiere at the puppetry venue April 7 and runs through May 17.
Inspired by the classic story, the production utilizes a wide range of puppet styles to portray more than 20 characters from “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales,” all of which took over three months to collectively create.
According to the Center for Puppetry Arts, the production opted to incorporate the different types of puppet styles as a way of properly reflecting the original story’s “playful, chaotic structure.”
“Our team relied on tools like 3D modeling and printing along with traditional puppet-making techniques to create everything from mouth mechanisms to frog teeth,” said Sam Carter, the center’s puppetry foreman. “It’s been a real crash course in puppet-making.”
Outside of the unique puppets, the production also displays a “storybook-inspired” set, highlighted by its use of “layered textures, bold patterns and collage-like elements” to match the show’s playful tone, said the Center for Puppetry Arts.
Overall, the play is described by the puppetry venue as a celebration of ’90s culture, offering nostalgia for older audiences and introducing a new, surreal world to younger generations.
“‘The Stinky Cheese Man’ introduced a level of irreverence that simply hadn’t been aimed at young audiences before,” said Jason Hines, artistic director of the Center for Puppetry Arts. “That sense of mischief and surprise is exactly what puppetry does best. It lets us be anarchic on stage and invite the audience in on the joke.”
Tickets for “The Stinky Cheese Man” can be purchased on the Center for Puppetry Arts’ website.
