After the sold-out run of his adaptation of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Center for Puppetry Arts artistic director Jon Ludwig pulls the strings of “The Body Detective.” Ludwig’s original production stars Sam Flat Foot, a sleuth who takes audiences along for a musical trip through the human body.
Q.: "The Body Detective" is a parody of classic film noir and detective stories. How did this genre lend itself to a show about the human body?
A.: In most detective stories there is a body. In ours it's a living breathing one. So after looking at several genres, this seemed like the most entertaining one. The detective angle creates colorful characters for each of the body parts and systems. The main character, Sam Flat Foot, is someone for the audience to follow and see how his investigation proceeds.
Q.: There are some pretty amazing puppets in "The Body Detective," including a giant skeleton. What's the most elaborate?
A.: The giant skeleton is the most complicated. He is a variation on an old fashioned trick marionette, except that he's almost 8 feet tall. He has 12 54-foot strings. It takes three puppeteers to operate the skeleton. They're moving together precisely while singing in three part harmony.
Q.: The puppeteers use an array of different types of puppets in this production. How do you decide which puppets to use? Does it depend on the style of story you're telling?
A.: We choose the style of puppetry based on what the puppet's action will be and in what world we want to place it. For this story we wanted a city: Body Town. We have buildings, a fire escape, a cross roads, a diner and many places for the puppeteers to be hidden so that the puppets seem to be alive on their own. This is a very big, elaborate set. Actually the set is bigger than the set for "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
Q.: You've mounted this production before. Is anything different this time around?
A.: We have a new keyboard player/music director, JMichael, who has brought some great funkiness and jazz to the score. We also have a new detective played by Michael Haverty who has a perfect mix of the film noir sleuth and physical comedy.
Q.: How challenging is it to blend education with entertainment?
A.: Making educational shows is really a lot of fun for me. I think about the facts and then imagine how to make them theatrical. Songs are a great way to get across information. In this show there is something for everyone. The adults can just follow the film noir spoof or enjoy the infotainment part.
Q.: You have some fun, jazzy musical numbers in "The Body Detective." Do you have a favorite?
A.: They are all very catchy. All of them will stick in your head, which is the point. Learning while being entertained.
Tuesdays-Sundays through March 13. $16 non-members; $9 members; ages 1 and younger free. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-873-3391, www.puppet.org.
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