AS a child, Englishman John Chilsom liked animating things, be they dolls or toys.
A stint as a puppeteer on a TV show brought out his passion for the subject. He has not looked back since.
Joining him in the unique venture is Austrian Josef Probst, who started out with hand puppet shows, until a chance meeting in England one day brought the two entertainers together.
For the next 25 years, the pair travelled the world, thrilling audiences in Europe, the United States and the Middle East with their life-like marionettes.
Now, for the first time in Asia, catch the pair in an exclusive three-week only show dubbed ‘Stars on Strings’, at Resorts World Genting.
With a unique combination of storytelling, compelling humour and music, the pair moves thousands of strings, breathing life to ‘stars’ including singing animals and icons such as Michael Jackson and Mae West.
The duo’s meticulous attention to detail incorporates complicated movements, making their marionettes play the violin or tap dance.
Putting on a show is no easy feat, as the pair controls the entire process, from puppet-making to choreography. The 88 dolls, some measuring up to four feet (1.2m) in height, weigh a total of 600kg.
“The Michael Jackson puppet took five weeks to create,” said Chilsom, who makes them from scratch using latex rubber.
He added that they had to figure out the techniques and coordinate eye, hand and mouth movements with the music.
“It’s not only about pulling a couple of strings. We want the marionette to do something, to be entertaining,” said Chilsom.
Probst added that no two characters are the same, as each had their own controls.
“Sometimes you ‘make a dress’ and put it on the puppet, and the puppet doesn’t work anymore. You have to think of it as a whole,” he said.
‘Stars on Strings’ will run until Dec 9 at 3pm and 5pm daily.
Tickets are priced at RM25 (VIP) and RM15. Genting Rewards card members enjoy a special rate of RM18 (VIP) and RM11.
First World Indoor Theme Park or Fantastica!2 ticket holders need only top-up RM10 to get one normal ticket.
Source: thestar / MJ-Upbeat.com
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