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Posted: January 6
(Rome) Roman children greet the new year by flocking to Piazza del Populo, a big public space on the north side of the historic district. St. Ignatius and the first companions entered the city through the gate that opens into this piazza. I made my way there from the opposite direction after pranzo on New Year's Day. Were I back in the United States, I might have been tempted to watch football on TV; here the lure of watching street performers led me to join the people, young and old, who were enthralled by performers ranging from the traditional Punch and Judy shows--each with its own small "theater" in which the puppets perform—to musicians, acrobats and more pupeteers. Many of the performers are regulars that I was pleased to see again, but one new artist caught my attention with her creativity and great energy.
Laura Kibel is a musician, costumist and set designer for stage and cinema, according to her flyer. She also puts on an incredible performance with multiple puppets acting against a recorded soundtrack. It wasn't until I was able to push my way past the ring of less curious adults that circled the children sitting on the ground watching her that I realized that she manages all the puppets with just her hands and feet. She sits in a folding chair up on a high stage and uses all her extremities to move the puppets with great feeling and expressiveness. After watching for several minutes, I finally understood why she calls herself, "Teatro dei Piedi."
This photo shows one of her characters, a Spanish toreador who becomes philosophical with the bull he is fighting. Her world is full of so many other characters, animals and human, who perform to a very sophisticated sound track made up just of music and special effects. The show is funny and thoughtful, with lots of throw-away bits for the adults. With many of the other performers, the parents spent most of their time watching the children watching the show. With Teatro dei Piedi, the adults watched the show.
Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting older, but I wondered how Ms Kibel was able to handle the performance physically. It is quite demanding to sit back and keep your arms and legs up and moving for more than half an hour; it looked harder than going to a gym. But she made it seem effortless. I was also fascinated with the puppet's' costumes such as the bright-colored bird. Even though the light in late afternoon was already fading, her characters stood out. You can find more information and even some diagrams that explain how she does this on her web site: www.laurakibel.com
As I walked back home, I wondered why her show impressed me so much. She reminded me how much one person can do, just by herself, using parts of her body that are normally taken for granted and giving them prominence and elegance that calls out the imagination of her viewers. I spend so much time working with computers and digital creation, that I delight in seeing what we can do with our human digits. Of course, that is the great joy in theater of all kinds. The children sitting on the ground all over the piazza knew that instinctively, and the performers know it through years of practice. The rest of us just need to be reminded now and then. Happy New Year.
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