The Hope College Great Performance Series will welcome back Cashore Marionettes on Friday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 31, at 2 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland.
The Cashore Marionettes have performed throughout the world to critical acclaim. “The range of movement truly has to be seen to be believed and even that might be pushing it,” “The Toronto Sun” has said.
When previously featured through the Great Performance Series in February 2010, Joseph Cashore and his “friends” caught many by surprise, in sold-out appearances. By popular demand, the Cashore Marionettes are back just two years later.
In the Friday performance, “Life in Motion,” Joseph Cashore presents his collection of marionette masterworks. Characters of depth, integrity, and humanity are portrayed in a full evening unlike anything else in theater today.
The performance is a series of scenes taken from everyday life and set to music by composers such as Beethoven, Vivaldi, Strauss and Copland. Through a combination of virtuoso manipulation, humor, pathos, classic music and poetic insight, The Cashore Marionettes take the audience on a journey that celebrates the richness of life. “Life in Motion” is highly recommended for adults.
The Saturday program, “Simple Gifts,” is a series of touching portrayals and poignant scenes from everyday life set to music by such composers as Vivaldi, Strauss, Beethoven and Copland. Through a combination of virtuoso manipulation, music, theatrical illusion, and artistic insight, the original vignettes presented in “Simple Gifts” provide an entertaining and sensitive vision of what it is to be human. The performance explores a range of emotions with characters and actions that are amazingly convincing. The marionettes are engineering marvels and the quality of movement is extraordinary.
Tickets are on sale at the ticket office in the main lobby of the DeVos Fieldhouse, and cost $18 for regular admission, $13 for senior citizens, and $6 for children 18 and under. The ticket office is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890.
The DeVos Fieldhouse is located at 222 Fairbanks Ave., between Ninth and 11th streets. The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. Eighth St.
Additional information may be obtained online by visiting www.hope.edu/gps.