Sue Hastings' Marionettes

              1929
Sue Hastings' Marionettes

Figure


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Sue Hastings' Marionettes
—A Company of Four People
The lights dim out; the gong resounds; the footlights flash on!  The audience sits almost breathless as the miniature curtains part to disclose the fairy world of marionettes; a world which for centuries has charmed all who have the magic gift of make-believe.

These delightful little actors quaintly present the most novel and artistic entertainment imaginable.  They are little wooden figures so carefully proportioned, weighted and jointed as to be capable of making virtually all the movements of human beings.  In fact, it is a real art to get individuality and personality into these puppets.  They talk, walk, sing and dance; do everything that can be done by human actors, although they are only about eighteen inches in height and are manipulated by strings—hundreds of strings—for each performance.  The stage is in proportion to the actors and is complete in every detail, with charmingly designed stage settings, lighting effects and properties.

Until recently, marionettes were largely a European novelty, but they have become astonishingly popular in this country, both in the theater and for private entertainments of clubs, colleges and social affairs.  They are enjoyed by audiences of all ages.  The Sue Hastings' Marionettes recently gave a program before a large audience under the auspices of the New York Theater Club at the Hotel Astor in New York City, and have appeared at numerous public and private entertainments all through the East.

Sue Hastings has done much to make the marionette the fashionable fad of the hour.  She has worked or rather played, over the art of producing marionette drama for the last five years, most of the time in New York City, where fashionable audiences at the Colony Club, the Junior League, and many of the best homes, have kept her company so busy that this is their first real tour outside of the state.

While Sue Hastings has evolved a brilliant technique in the manipulation of the marionettes, the outstanding feature of her performances is the delicacy and grace of the puppets, the gorgeousness of the costumes and scenery, and the humor and gaiety of the production.

Printed in U. S. A.

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