Category Archive:
Posted by Tom Bonham on March 22, 2011 at 10:16 pm
This production features over 30 rod puppets and animations. The three main characters Wynken, Blynken, and Nod are introduced in Eugene Field’s poem of the same name. Then each character presents his own story poem of The Fly-away Horse, The Nightwind, and Seein’ Things. All selections are found in Field’s book Poems of Childhood. The Fly-away Horse is reminiscent of the Muppet Babies television show of going on an imaginary journey on a flying horse. The Nightwind speaks of the terrors of the sound the trees make in the winds at night. The closing poem, Seein’ Things, tells of the childhood fears of going to bed in a dark room. Although full of ‘scarey’ imagery, the production remains light and poses no problems for the younger set who would tend to scream at the sight of puppet witches and ghosts.
The show is a joy for all ages. Children are entranced by the constant action, poetry, and classical music. Adults appreciate subtle humor and childhood emotions depicted in the poems and combined with the great classical music. The production includes musical selections from Rimsky Korsakov’s Le Coq d’ Or, Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, Prokofieff’s The Love of Three Oranges March, Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Gounod’s The Funeral March of a Marionette, and Joplin’s The Entertainer. Tom Bonham gives a solo puppet performance animating the many characters simultaneously.
Larger than the traditional “Punch & Judy booth,” the production is presented in a 12 foot wide stage which allows easy viewing from the entire auditorium. While lighting effects are not essential to the enjoyment of the program, the show is presented with lighting effects in areas where the room may be darkened which further enhance the dreamy atmosphere of the production.
Tom Bonham also presents his popular Know the Vocabulary presentation before the show demonstrating numerous ways to make quick, easy puppets actually creating half a dozen puppet characters from scratch in the brief 10 minute presentation.
Continue Reading
Posted by Tom Bonham on March 2, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Puppet Potpourri is an informal musical variety show blending hand, rod, and string (marionettes) puppets. This program is very popular with the pre-school set in its simplicity, yet enjoyable for the older children for its variety of puppet types, and wide variety of music. The show features several of the unique for which Tom Bonham is known. The show features the bouncing teddy bear, stacking blocks, the changing creature, the come-apart skelton, and many more puppets.
Puppet Potpourri 2005 at an elementary school
Halloween Potpourri
Tom Bonham’s popular Puppet Potpourri has been modified into Halloween Potpourri with puppets suggesting Halloween themes. The gentle song and dance routines are designed for fun and not to scare. The show features many of the same acts, as Puppet Potpourri. It does include the bouncing teddy bear, stacking pumpkins, the changing creature, and the come-apart skeleton. Special for this show are the dancing skeleton legs, the slinky bouncers, and Zsa Zsu the witch.
The production is presented in Tom Bonham’s arena staging, where the audience sits on the floor around the perimeter of the stage area. Depending on the room layout the stage is a six by twelve foot rectangle, a twelve foot square, or an eighteen foot diamond allowing for 18-40 feet of front row seating.
Halloween Potpourri 2010 at Faust Park
Saint Louis Carousel Building
Continue Reading
Posted by Tom Bonham on September 30, 2010 at 10:18 pm
The show is a joy for all ages. The many, imaginative, colorful characters and pop music (perhaps more of a flashback to the 80’s) amaze and delight the children. With Tom Bonham’s unique arena staging the puppets often come face to face with the children, immersing the children as almost a part of the show. Adults appreciate the amazing artistry of Tom Bonham whose solo performance animates the many characters in full view of the audience, yet the audience focuses totally on the puppets.
This musical variety show features Tom Bonham’s most creative and unusual puppets. Tom has created puppets from plastic bottles, plastic pipe, and Tom’s unusual yarn technique. Puppets include a see-thru sultan, fuzzy yarn animals, animated kitchen utensils, a mirrored man, a knight in shining armor, and the great plastic bottle dragon. The 40 minute production features more than two dozen of these unique puppets. The production is presented in Tom Bonham’s arena staging, where the audience sits on the floor around the perimeter of the stage area.
Continue Reading
Posted by Tom Bonham on September 30, 2010 at 10:15 pm
This performance of the musical classic of Camille Saint-Saens appeals to all ages. While kindergarten and early elementary students delight in simple fantasies of the puppets, older children (and adults) also are intrigued by the combinations of everyday items that create the fantastic characters. Saint-Saens created the pieces as entertainment for the younger members of his family, never intending the whimsical works to be a part of his musical legacy.
The puppets enact Saint-Saens characterizations having been built with the same kind of visual whimsy, created from plastic bottles, brushes, and dollar store items. The imaginative puppets and puppet making demonstration prior to the actual piece can inspire children to create their own simple puppets. In the short puppet making demonstration prior to the performance, Tom Bonham creates a simple hand puppet, a muppet-like cast of Little Red Riding Hood, a glove puppet, two rod puppets, and a marionette (string) puppet. Tom Bonham has taken the whimsy and created highly imaginative puppets from plastic bottles, brushes, slinkies, hair ties and such to compliment the whimsy of the music.
All of the pieces of the composition are included in Tom Bonham’s solo, virtuoso, 45 minute production featuring the following 36 puppets in addition to the 7 puppets in the demonstration:
.
- The Maestro and the Regal Lion’s March
- The Rooster and the Hen
- The Donkey
- The Tortoise and the Snail
- The Elephant’s Can-Can
- The Kangaroo and Mini-Roo
- An Imaginative Aquarium
- The Persons with Long Ears
- The Search for the Cuckoo
- A Vibrant Aviary
- The Pompous Pianists
- The Fantastic Fossils
- The Graceful Swan
- The Finale
Important Production note: This is a large, full scale production. Puppets and staging equipment fill a full size, extended cargo van. The assembled puppet stage is 16 feet wide and at least 8 feet deep. Please allow ample set-up time (approximately 2 hours) to prep the puppets and performing area Due to weight of equipment, all performing venues must be wheelchair accessible with no sharp turns in the wheelchair ramps. Curb cuts are not necessary. Performances can be held at only one venue per day. However, up to four performances at the same venue are possible.
Continue Reading
Posted by Tom Bonham on September 30, 2010 at 9:08 pm
What can Christmas show can surpass Tom Bonham’s A Christmas Fantasy? It took some doing. The result was a Christmas musical variety show featuring Tom Bonham’s creative and unusual puppets in arena staging. The show begins, “Underneath the Christmas tree some ornaments have fallen and taken on a magical life all their own.” And for the next 30 minutes, dozens of glittery puppets made from tree garland and ornaments perform to the delight of all.
The production is presented in Tom Bonham’s arena staging, where the audience sits on the floor around the perimeter of the stage area. Depending on the room layout the stage is a six by twelve foot rectangle, a twelve foot square, or an eighteen foot diamond allowing for 18-40 feet of front row seating.
The show is a joy for all ages. Children are amazed and delighted by the many imaginative, colorful characters and joyful holiday songs music. Adults appreciate the amazing artistry of Tom Bonham whose solo performance animates many characters in full view of the audience.
Continue Reading
