The intricate, life-sized puppets moved so realistically that within minutes I’d stopped noticing the puppeteer. Performed in Thai, I didn’t know what was said, but between program notes (in English) and their actions a clear story unfolded.
I’m enamored with puppets and have sought them out around the globe. In Bangkok, at the Joe Lewis theater, there are nightly shows. Pre-performance, artisans demonstrated how the puppets are created and allowed people to manipulate smaller puppets. The larger ones take years of practice and are so valuable, any mishap would be disastrous.
At show’s end, the puppets came into the audience and thanked each person.