Tanglewood Marionettes bring "Cinderella" to island children

The grumpy, frumpy sisters and their sweet and lovely step-sister made to do their bidding will all be at Bennett Hall at 62 Centre St. on May 3 for two free performances of "Cinderella" by The Tanglewood Marionettes. The shows will be held at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. that Saturday morning.

The story is set in the 18th century and the performance features many detailed, intricately costumed 30-inch marionettes made by Anne (Ware) Schaefer, wife of puppeteer Peter Schaefer, who live in Ware, Mass. The sets, revealed as turned pages of an over-sized book, are hand-painted and depict Cinderella's simple kitchen where she toils, the village square and the elaborate ballroom where she meets Prince Charming who finds her lost glass slipper and returns it with an offer of marriage. Based on the original romantic children's tale, the presentation holds a few surprises and is a delight to watch. The marionettes are worked in plain sight of the audience to allow them to appreciate the skill of the craft.

Marionettes have been the Schaefer family's business through generations. It was only natural that Peter, who grew up with puppets, began creating his own children's shows when he was a teenager. By the time he graduated from college he had established the Mountain Marionettes in Bennington, Vt. and met his wife while touring in affiliation with the National School Assemblies.

The Tanglewood Marionettes, founded in 1993, is a nationally touring theater with its own lighting and sound systems. The company performs children's classics including such stories as "Sleeping Beauty," "Hansel and Gretel," and its newest production, "The Dragon King." In the spring of 2007, the Tanglewood Marionettes presented "The Fairy Circus" to a standing room only crowd on Nantucket. The company is booked weekly until June and throughout the summer. As part of the Nantucket Arts Council's Young People's Concert Series, the performances are free to the public through a grant from the Nantucket

Golf Club Foundation. I