The first time that musical theatre performer Rhoda Lopez saw Italian puppeteer Remo Di Filippo’s marionette show, she fell in love with his “magical” interactive string puppetry.

“It was so captivating; I’d never seen that kind of art!”

The Australian also fell head over heels for the entertainer. Ten years later, the couple are bringing their internationally renowned show to New Zealand for the first time with just one performance at Tauranga’s Village Community Cinema on February 9.

“New Zealand will be our 31st country,” said Lopez, from their home in Italy.

The show has won 10 international awards for its playful interaction between puppets and their puppeteers who together tell stories without words, using movement and music.

“In traditional puppetry, you don’t see the performers because the magical thing is the idea of inanimate objects coming to life,” said Lopez.

“Because Remo and I both have theatre backgrounds, we actually like that the audience see us on the stage with the puppets so they can see how we interact with them. As though we believe that they’re alive. It’s not your traditional storytelling puppetry show.”

Family

To Lopez and Di Filippo, their 40-plus marionettes are more like family than tools of the trade. “When people come to the theatre or see us on the street or at festivals, I think the main response is surprise because they don’t expect to be so moved by something made of wood that’s being moved by someone with strings.

“I think a lot of people have forgotten the magic of ‘simple’ things,” said Lopez.

Rhoda Lopez and Remo Di Filippo perform their award-winning marionette show. Photos: supplied

Behind the scenes, it’s more physical than onlookers may realise. At one point, Lopez tap dances with a puppet called “Paco”, others perform acrobatics and ride a bike.

“We do a full warm-up before the show. Up and down with the marionettes is hard on the knees. They’re generally around 60cm tall and are on the floor with us,” she said.

“Often, after a show adults come to us saying they enjoyed it more than the child they brought along. It’s suitable for entire families. It’s the kind of artform that reaches different levels.”

Hand-crafted

The marionettes are hand-crafted, each with a unique quote etched onto its heart. Lopez refuses to reveal her favourite. “For one thing, the others would get jealous and also because each marionette brings its own specialness to make the show and our family complete.”

Di Filippo Marionette’s Appeso Ad Un Filo (Hanging By a Thread) is presented by The Incubator Creative Hub at The Village Community Cinema on Sunday, February 9 at 1.30pm. Doors open 1pm. Tickets cost $14 at: www.theincubator.co.nz/event-details/di-filippo-marionett