In a world of high-tech everything, where we freak out if
something takes more than two seconds to download (or maybe that’s just me?),
there is something incredibly charming about the simplicity of the Bob Baker
Theater. But simple does not mean boring, as my delighted three-year-old and I will
tell you after our recent visit for the Halloween Hoop-De-Doo, one of the
theater’s most popular offerings that is running through November 3rd.
Bob Baker has been a puppeteer and marionette maker since
the 1940s, and has created puppets for iconic films like A Star Is Born and Bedknobs
and Broomsticks. He designed all of the marionettes at the theater, and for
the Hoop-De-Doo there are over 100 Halloween-themed puppets.
Now in its 53rd season, the Bob Baker Theater is
the oldest of its kind in the United States, and has been declared a Los
Angeles historic cultural monument. Bob’s creations have been entertaining kids
here since 1960, and I have even heard that Liza Minnelli used to come when she was a child!
The theater is tucked away under an overpass in Downtown Los
Angeles, with a paid parking lot next door and lots of street parking. After
walking past a clown blowing a horn at the entrance, you will enter the
theater, which is very beautiful and romantic and decked out with crystal
chandeliers and velvety purple drapes and curtains.
Shows are performed in the round, with a large square of
gray carpet serving as the stage. Kids can sit on the floor right in the front
(with parents behind them in chairs), which makes it easy for the puppets to
come right over and sit in their lap or pat them on the head, making the
audience a part of the show! Every seat is a good one, and I think everyone
gets to feel like they are part of the action.
The insanely talented puppeteers are part of the show, too;
dressed all in black, they walk and run around the room while manipulating the
marionette strings to allow them to talk, sing, dance, and play the guitar. In
one number, a marionette even appears to twerk! That is amazing, especially
considering that I can’t even manage to keep my Iphone cord free of knots. After
each hour-long show, you can meet the puppeteers, buy a souvenir puppet, and
have refreshments in the theater’s colorful party room.
Some of our favorite numbers from the Halloween Hoop-De-Doo
(which debuted in 1963) were the Purple People Eater, the Invisible Man, and
the black light numbers, featuring glowing skeletons (some with twirling
tassels on their lady parts). Catch the Halloween Hoop-De-Doo while you can;
the shows change every season. Something tells me we will be back soon for the
Holiday Spectacular!
The Bob Baker Marionette Theater
1345
West First Street
Los
Angeles, CA 90026
www.bobbakermarionettes.com
www.twitter.com/bobbakertheater
(213) 250-9995
Performance Info:
Bob Baker’s Halloween Hoop-De-Doo runs through November 3rd.
Bob Baker’s Holiday Spectacular opens November 9th.
Tuesdays
through Fridays at 10:30am
Saturdays
and Sundays at 2:30pm
Children and Adults $15.00
Children under Age 2
Free
Call the Box Office For
Required Reservations
