Everyone, start your pumpkins, and beginning with pumpkin #1 on the calendar is short film by Alex Evans (film maker and marionetteer at Bob Baker Theater) featuring a very dashing and debonaire vampire calling you to see the unearthly, eerie, fun and wild “Halloween Hoop de Doo” at Bob Baker Theater starting October 6th! I can’t endorse this enough, as a puppeteer myself, you should know that this theater is an incredible Los Angeles treasure not to be missed. GET TICKETS! (Currently, their show Fiesta is being dismantled and stored, so it might say that no upcoming events are on the roster, but rest assured, the new show IS opening in less than 5 days!)
You will see the expertly nimble talents of puppeteers Eric De LaCruz, Victor Munoz, Alex Evans and Adrian Rose (as well as more marionette performers) bring Bob’s hand made puppets to life in a madcap series of captivating vignettes ALL having to do with Halloween!
- You will see the Purple People Eater!
- You will see the Invisible Man!
- You will see skeletons wearing lipstick!
- LIPSTICK?!? You heard me! It’s possible!
Bob Baker’s legacy is absolutely incredible, he is a master showman, artist, craftsman and expert puppeteer. He turned 88 this year, and he’s been working puppet strings since age 8. His theater holds over 3,000 hand made puppets, and I’d be doubtful about that claim except that I saw them all myself and my eyeballs almost fell out of my head in disbelief. This place is hands down one of the most wonderful places in our gigantic city of angels, and it has helped shape the inspiration and imagination of countless kids and adults for the last 52 years. Bob has also worked with Walt Disney, Stephen Spielberg, Elvis, The Three Stooges, Angela Lansbury, the list goes on and on, it’s nuts.
Here are some clips of Bob’s fascinating and remarkable contributions to stage and screen.
But here’s a little Halloween tidbit that people don’t know: Two of his hand crafted marionettes live in special cases at Disneyland in Paris! If you know anyone who is a little scared of the queen and her evil antics, you can show them this link and tell them that she’s very far away and posing no threat to anyone, thanks to Bob. That’s right, the Evil Queen in her “before” and “after” stages are on display, and you can see close-ups of these beautiful works and find out more about Bob at this 2011 exposé on Filmic Light’s Snow White archive.
Bob Baker Marionette Theater
1345 W. 1st St. (under the bridge where 2nd. St. turns into Glendale)
Los Angeles, CA. 90026
(213)250-9995
TICKETS! BIRTHDAY PARTIES! FUN!
