Petrushka presented by Shakespeare Theatre Company at Michael R. Klein Theatre

Petrushka

Michael R. Klein Theatre
450 7th Street NW Washington

Petrushka tells the tragic love story of three puppets at a Russian Carnival. Petrushka, the clown, falls in love with the charming Ballerina at first sight. The scheming and rich Moor loves the Ballerina as well, and seduces her with beautiful things. She rejects the earnest advances of Petrushka, who, upset and lonely, confronts the Moor. In order to make this story come to life, Twist sets it against the backdrop of a specially created two-piano version of Stravinsky’s original ballet score. Nine hidden puppeteers use a combination of Czech and Japanese techniques to bring the puppets to life.

Presented by Shakespeare Theatre Company

Thru - Mar 25, 2012

Show Type: Performance Art

Running Time: 55 minutes

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Petrushka Reviews

Average Rating based on 4 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended

"... Many children will love this charming production, but it's also designed to appeal to anyone looking for a novel, imaginative approach to reality, where everything you see dances to music and defies the law of gravity. And you don't have to be seven years old to be in that category."

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- Barbara Mackay

Washingtonian - Recommended

"... Petrushka is the brainchild of renowned puppeteer Basil Twist,who's currently in Washington for a mini festival of his works at four area venues. Currently playing at Shakespeare Theatre Company, this show is based on Igor Stravinsky's ballet of the same name, which is about an actual puppet who comes to life, tangles with a Moor in his quest for the affections of a ballerina, and has to deal with real human feelings such as jealousy and rage. The show has no dialogue, and two skilled pianists (twin sisters Julia and Irina Elkina), seated on opposite sides of the stage, handle Stravinsky's rippling, sometimes discordant score. The puppetry is performed by shadow figures who make objects move, rotate, and even dance against a black backdrop."

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- Missy Frederick

BrightestYoungThings - Highly Recommended

"... The story is the age old tale of love, betrayal, seduction and the exhilarating joy and sadness that comes with stories of that variety and it has three protagonists (which are puppets, played by puppets: a ballerina, Petrushka the pierrot and a swarthy Moor) and not much else to fill the frame."

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- Svetlana

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

Pinocchio may have wished to be a real boy, but Basil Twist’s puppets have the best of both worlds. They are all too human, with souls that burn bright as jewels. But they are also impossibly graceful and balletic, executing astonishing arabesques and leaps that hang in the air like unspoken longings.

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- Jayne Blanchard

Petrushka presented by Shakespeare Theatre Company at Michael R. Klein Theatre

Petrushka

Petrushka Reviews

Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended

Washingtonian - Recommended

BrightestYoungThings - Highly Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

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