Puppet Theatre Press

One Fun Puppet Show
The Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre Hits the Montauk Library
by Patria Baradi Pacis

Last Friday, May 25 at 7 p.m. at the Montauk Library Auditorium, Liz Joyce and a couple of puppets from The Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre from Sag Harbor, entertained an audience of about 40 children. The ages in the crowd ranged from six months to 97-years-young and all came to see the story of "Little Red Riding Hood."

For those who do not know what the Little Red Riding Hood story is about, it is the story of a young girl who is sent by her mother to bring a basket of food to her sick grandmother's house. Little Red Riding Hood, named because she wore a red, cape coat with a hood over her head, left her house with instructions from her mother. One was not to talk to any strangers along the way. The second was not to stray from the route to grandma's house.

As Little Red Riding Hood started her journey through the woods, all the little children's eyes were on the girl making sure that she followed her mother's instructions. Along the way, however, Little Red Riding Hood finds herself talking to a little pig that has lost his way home. Now we all know that the story of The Three Little Pigs does not belong in the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but the pig was crying for help so Little red Riding Hood just had to help him. Ms. Joyce's twist to the story is quite amusing. She cleverly gets the audience's participation by asking questions that require immediate responses. For example, when little Red Riding Hood was talking to the pig, the audience shouted out, "She should not talk to strangers!" Also when Little Red Riding Hood was trying to figure out a shortcut to grandma's house, Little Red Riding Hood asked the audience if she should and was quickly answered with an emphatic "No!"

Halfway through the program, the children finally saw the big gray wolf lurking around (I might add that at the beginning of the show, Ms. Joyce asked if anyone was afraid of a wolf. Along with a couple of raised hands, I too found myself raising mine). The bad wolf showing his sharp white teeth passed Little Red Riding Hood so that he could beat her to grandma's house. After the wolf arrived at grandma's house, the wolf rang the doorbell pretending to be Little Red Riding Hood. Next thing we knew, Grandma was eaten by the big bad wolf and he his underneath her bed covers to wait for the young girl's arrival. When Little Red Riding Hood arrived, she too was eaten by the wolf. But of course, in the end, the people make it out of the wolf's stomach alive and well.

I also found myself quietly singing, "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?" song. Throughout the show, Ms. Joyce did lose a couple of children who found themselves too afraid of the wolf. Ms. Joyce reassured the rest of the children that the wolf would not leave the theater black box. So the children were able to relax a bit.

After the show, I was privileged to see the "backstage" of the theater box and was impressed by how many puppets or characters Ms. Joyce entertained us with. Since I had seen Ms. Joyce's previous puppet show at the Library called "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," I knew I would not be disappointed. When asked by one of the mothers who my children in the audience were, I, without hesitation, pointed to my older sister and my 97-years-young Mom. After all, we are all children at heart! Thank you Montauk Library for hosting the show! Thank you Ms. Joyce for bringing us to a wonderful, make believe world and letting us leave all our worries behind even if just for a short time! For more info and a schedule of shows, check Ms. Joyce's website at www.goatonaboat.org or call 631-725-4193. You can also write to Liz Joyce and a Couple of Puppets at P.O. Box 327, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. I am sure she and her puppets will be back at the Library again.