Last week, a little bit of France invaded the Almonte Old Town Hall for the annual Puppets Up! fundraiser. The French tricolour flag was fluttering and the musical selections evoked a moody afternoon in a French café.

But the best part was the arrival on stage of puppeteers Estelle Charlier and Romuald Collinet, all the way from Herbeys France. As they introduced their production of “Punchy Draw” they told the audience there was good news and bad news. The bad news was that a lot of production was to be in French, but the good news was that it didn’t matter. They couldn’t have been more right! The universal language of puppets was all that was needed.

What followed was a hilarious hour in the company of Polichinelle or “Poli”, a very naughty puppet. True to his roots that reach back to the 17th century (Italy’s Commedia dell’arte famous character, “Pulcinella”), this guy is a magnet for trouble and let’s just say that his performance had a lot of punch. (In English, he is better know as “Punch”). Mallets, puppet fists, saws, pillows, coffee pots – you name it, Poli bopped his way through a cast of characters including a frisky pet dog, a girlfriend, his own offspring and the dark figure of Death.

The kids in the audience were totally into Poli and his antics, egging him on and shouting encouragement.

Noreen told me that this year Puppets Up! would really bring the best of the world to Almonte. She’s always right. Estalle and Romuald, and their puppet company, Compagnie La Pendue, have performed throughout France and Europe, Egypt, Israel, the United States, and Canada.

Nick

P.S. Our own beloved local slam poet, Danielle Gregoire, handled the MC duties at the Puppets Up! fundraiser. Check out the fabulous poem she wrote especially for the occasion!