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 Paris is an influential
melting pot of creativity, the birthplace of the famous Lido and the
inspiration for Oskar the contortionist. Performing many years in Europe
has given Phillip the opportunity of working with the best in
performance art. This particular venue introduced him to Viktor Kee,
(currently touring in Cirque d Soleil’s "Dralion"), a
juggling aficionado. Viktor’s strength, control, and costume (or lack
there of) lent itself well to the marionette concept. The influence only
started there. Always a fan of the Chinese contortionists, Phillip
combined the two thoughts and created a routine in which Cirque du
Soleil would be proud (or so we hope). But the true test is always the
audience. If you get a chance, join us for Oskar’s debut this year
on July 28th at the Diana Wortham Theatre - Ashville,
NC. Info & Tickets 828-257-4530 / www.dwtheatre.com.
With instant communication by Internet, conference calling and digital cameras, nothing is out of reach as proved by Phillip’s latest commercial venture for Wieder International called "Move Free". Inspired by Phillip’s work in the movie "Being John Malkovich", the client’s director scripted the commercial. With a click of a mouse the producer’s search took them to our website and a conference call was set up between the creative sources. The Pitch... a marionette shut-in woman, cuts her strings (using the product), and moves freely through her life. Phillip sketched the look for the marionette and emailed it for approval. Our friend KK Barrett (BJM set designer) created a perfectly scaled set to Phillip’s 24-inch puppet specifications. Digital photos recorded every phase of the marionette’s construction and were emailed for the client’s approval. Freeda, as she became known, flew with Phillip’s to Los Angeles for a 2-day shoot at Raleigh Studios, Manhattan Beach. The clients were ecstatic with everything Phillip was producing for the camera. Phillip was especially pleased with the way Freeda picked up her scissors and articulated the movement of cutting strings. The commercial aired in most major cites and special markets. Visit our website for a pictorial about this commercial’s creation. World Class Cruising You know a standing ovation is an honest one if it’s on the QE2’s World Cruise. The passengers are reserved, refined, mainly English patrons, not the kind who leap to their feet in praise. Imagine Phillip’s surprise when he completed his performance to see the entire room standing (no, not to leave). It’s gratifying to know after 20 years of cruising that the performance can still effect an audience in such a dramatic way. Japan’s NYK cruise line invited THM to join their World Cruise aboard the Asuka. We may have been new to the ship but not to an all-Japanese speaking audience. Phillip had just returned from his 5th land tour of Japan, (sponsored by The Foundation of Modern Puppetry) and he was primed for the event. When it was time to disembark the ship, the Captain took time to tell Phillip that the passengers were very impressed and hoped he would return soon. THM has been invited back for their World Cruise in June 2005. Deer Rockettes
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What to do at our now annual Christmas event with Jim Nabors and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra? The show’s Director/ Choreographer Tom Hansen and Phillip came up with a unique idea to an old classic. Using a familiar piece from the "Nutcracker", Phillip transformed our new opera diva, Pricilla Pipes. Donning a wand and a pair of wings she danced the "Sugar Plump Fairy". What started out as a simple dance routine turned into a tour-de-force. Because of Pricilla’s unique mouth animation (opens & closes, moves side to side, and rotates) Phillip wanted her to accent the live orchestra with some operatic vocals. You might have guessed, Phillip did the singing live. It was like Fractured Fairy Tales meets Florence Foster Jenkins. It was a first for Phillip, manipulating while dancing with, plus singing for a marionette. It all proved to be a great audience pleaser and a nice comic addition to the show. Creating a toy solider marionette for a new number, Phillip joins the cast again this year Dec 3-5 at the Hawaii Theatre. Info & tickets www.hawaiitheatre.com / (808)528-0506
What a trip! The Bob Hope, Bing Crosby "Road" musical vehicle has been parked. What started as a workshop at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center made a right turn into a full production, traveled for an extended run at Goodspeed, and was ready to be optioned for production by Clear Channel Entertainment. It seemed to be going places until the option was dropped. Taffy and Phillip had a great ride with it collectively for a year. The Goodspeed production is preserved on video for anyone to view at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center .
Puppeteers lecturing to animators… sound peculiar? Not so for Marianne Virtuoso with Disney Feature Animation Studios. She happened to see one of Phillip’s Los Angeles performances and found it "...mesmerizing how each character came to life and each took on a completely different persona". She went to her senior management, Tenny Chonin, and recommended Phillip for their "Lunch Box Lecture". For those who have never seen "Behind the Strings" in brief ... it’s a 5-minute video montage of characters, 3 live performance pieces, a video of the puppet development process from concept to performance, and a live demonstration of the marionette actions and tricks followed by a question and answer period. What was to be a one-hour lecture turned into two. Animators did not want to leave and questions were non-stop. The presentation was an unqualified success. We soon received booking requests from Jack Lew at Disney Featured Animation, Orlando and Deborah Healy at Ringling School of Art and Design in Florida. The Disney Orlando lecture was completed but Ringling awaits for the future.
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Radio city was looking to update
their Christmas show. Producer Howard Kolins remembered Phillip’s
performance years ago in "That’s Christmas" with Sandy
Duncan and conceptualized how it might work for him. Meeting with the
Rockette’s creative team, Director Linda Haberman and Music Director
Mark Hummel, Phillip convinced them that their concept of a baby
reindeer marionette would work on their enormous stage. Phillip
developed a Huber Marionette Reindeer that he knew would read great
distances, not just because of size, but fabric, painting, and accents.
The creative team gathered for the unveiling on the Radio City stage and
Phillip put the marionette through its paces. From an audience
prospective, it was better than imagined. Excitement grew about the
project until the money people halted any new changes. Since then the
producer has changed and the idea shelved, but who knows what might be
in store for this reindeers future.
Disney 