Tonight or tomorrow, make your way to The Cultch to see the Old Trout Puppet Workshop's original production of The Tooth Fairy.
At just over an hour long, the musical puppet show recounts the tale of eight-year-old Abigail (Kyla Read, above) and her gleaming mouthful of perfect teeth. Her grandfather ("He hasn't got any teeth at all!") tries desperately to keep Abigail close to home and protected so she'll never lose her perfect teeth, guaranteeing her a happy and prosperous life. He stands guard over her, keeping the Tooth Fairy away. In this tale, the Tooth Fairy is made out to be the robber of innocence, the overlord who profits from the misery of others.
Thus sets the stage (see what I did there?) for a most wondrous adventure when Abigail decides she must run away to defeat the Tooth Fairy for the good of all.
Described as "a children's puppet show for adults, and adult theatre for children," audience members of all ages seemed perfectly delighted during the show Tuesday night, myself included. The story is dark, the music is catchy, and the performances of Read and the four puppeteers who create the world she explores on her search for the Tooth Fairy were top-notch.
(Big thanks to The Cultch for inviting me and a guest [my cousin visiting from New York] to see the show opening night.)
