Tag: marionette
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The Ladies of the Opera dei Pupi
In addition to the knights and the Saracens, of course, we have our fair princesses! The audience, which most often consisted of men and boys from the popular classes, was very much engaged in the action of the opera dei pupi. Spectators were known to get rowdy, interacting with the characters on stage by responding…
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Look For These Clues
The plots of the stories exhibited in the opera dei pupi are based on medieval literature. Many of those adventure tales feature knights who participate in the crusades, such as Roland from The Song of Roland. The bad guys of these stories are usually non-Christians who are generally called Saracens. Know that, when you are…
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Enter Stage Left
In the opera dei pupi, Sicily’s UNESCO recognized marionette theater, you can recognize the good guys because their shields possess suns and birds and they enter from stage left.
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The Artistry of the Opera dei Pupi
Yesterday, our last official day of our Enchanting Sicily tour, we spent the evening in Palermo seeing the UNESCO recognized Opera dei Pupi at the Argento family’s theater. I’ve become such a fan of this whimsical form of entertainment! When you allow yourself to be a kid, you will be amazed by Orlando’s adventures and…
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Artistry and Imagination in Palermo
We saw so much today! Palermo is bustling with new bars, cafès, and boutiques, it’s so exciting to be here. So much new, yes, but the traditional still tugs my heart–for example, the performance of the Opera dei Pupi we saw presented by the Argento Family. Wow! What fun to see Orlando and Rolando fighting…
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Clues for Watching l’Opera dei Pupi
Back before television was invented and became available in many households, in many of Sicily’s towns and certainly, in its larger cities, L’Opera dei Pupi, or marionette theater, was a major pastime for men and children of the popular classes. They loved to follow the trials and tribulations of their knightly heroes. A major character…
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Sicily’s UNESCO Recognized Opera dei Pupi
The marionette puppet theater of Sicily is one of four traditions of puppetry from around the globe that is recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity–along with the Japanese Ningyo Johruri Bunraku, Indonesian Wayang, and Cambodian Sbek Thom. The Opera dei Pupi may be enjoyed at many theaters throughout the island, mainly in…
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500 Years of Orlando’s Adventures
500 years ago, Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533), a poet from Reggio Emilia, a city in the region of Emilia-Romagna, published an epic poem titled “Orlando furioso.” Written in an archaic version of the Italian language (one that English speakers could compare to Chaucer), the poem chronicles the raging adventures and mishaps of the paladin (a…
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Pupi Love
In Palermo’s historic center, generations of Sicilians and visitors to Sicily have been captivated by L’Opera dei Pupi di Palermo, a company started by marionette master Giacomo Cuticchio more than 80 years ago. Today his sons continue the tradition of marionette-puppetry (“pupi”) by presenting captivating productions featuring kings, angels, devils, Arabs, lords, ladies, and fantastic…