The Grindhouse Marionettes are a group of bell cow puppets. More accurately, humans puppeteer other humans from above as they jerkily perform short vignettes reminiscent of dark classics from the Brothers Grimm or Edward Gorey - gruesome parables with a parade of flawed heroes and scoundrels.
There are two versions to this story... a chocolate cookie for those who figure what is real, and what is... soap opera material.
The Grindhouse Marionettes call themselves a vaudevillian troupe; nicely summarizing their pretense of unpretentious entertainment.
Forged amongst the anarchy of the Dresden Dolls Brigade performers, The Grindhouse Marionettes starred as side stage performances at Avalon and the Paradise Rock Club. Noted for their talents of constructing props and destructive subject matter, their raunchy comic genius captivated audiences.
Ben Parsons, “Svengali Extraordinaireâ€: is responsible for forming The Grindhouse Marionettes. He recalls the difficulty recruiting players, as: “You'd think the Boston scene would be over run with wannabe exhibitionists, but apparently, a lot of them have standards.â€
In fact, the latest member of the troupe joined after being confirmed the day of their first show, “The Dresden Dolls 2004 Halloween Ballâ€. Despite the lack of preparation, the short skits were well received.
Flabbergasted, members brainstormed what could be possible, if, for instance, the group rehearsed?
Soon came weekly meetings, the late nights of procrastinating, writing scripts minutes before rehearsal on the back of ATM slips, and the never ending search for ever cheaper props... or puns, for that matter.
"You want to know about The Grindhouse Marionettes?" Geppeto snarled. "I'll tell you about those freaks!"
"They were a bunch of vaudevillians looking for a hook. Living puppets was their bright idea. I could have shown them living puppets. Puppet masters to make you cry with the subtly of their control, little wooden bodies expressing all the emotions a man can have. But no, that was too much work, 'we want to throw together an act for the Dresden Dolls' Brigade at the Halloween show'. As if they could learn puppeteering in three weeks! The art I've dedicated the last 50 years of my life to! Three weeks..."
The old puppeteer trailed off, grumbling to himself over the remembered slight.
"And the marks love it!", Geppeto thundered, his thin hair standing up, as his dim eyes flashed.
"All the time worn tripe they can dish up, and still the crowds clamour for more! Where's the justice in that? Where's the discernment? The appreciation for a finely crafted phrase, a movement that conveys heartbreak and joy all at once? What does the mob scream for? Kittens! Masturbating, cross dressing demons! A Russian con-man! A pox! A pox on all of you! Out! Get out of my shop!"
Geppeto scrabbled amongst the clutter on his workbench, coming up with a large mallet, shaking it menancingly. Your intrepid reporter retreated to the relatively safety of the street.
As I left, I could hear the old man raving "Damn you human puppets, damn you!â€I feared Geppeto had an axe to grind, so I decided to head cross town to follow up on another lead. Maybe some of the bands that had given the Marionettes their early breaks could shed some light on my subjects.
I soon discovered that all of the bands were either convienently touring out of town, or were based in JP, which my travel allowance wouldn't cover. Very suspicious. What were The Grindhouse Marionettes trying to hide?
We are are a motley of personalities:
Katrina Galore
Ben "Svengali" Parsons
Irina Peligrad
Robyn Janz
Sonia Maslovskaya
Andrea Eaton
and Dafydd Vashtar
Introducing Jake Flowers
and occasionally...
Devon 7 and David Chin
E. Stephen Frederick, & Alex Levin
FOR BOOKING: Call (617)-877-0357oremail: [email protected]
