Puppeteer to Present 'Frog Prince' at Ventfort Hall01:54PM / Thursday, January 22, 2009
LENOX, Mass. — Puppeteer Carl Sprague returns to Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum during the February school break to present a classic Brothers Grimm fairytale, "The Frog Prince," on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 2. A children's Victorian tea will follow the presentation.
The story revolves around a beautiful young princess who, during a stroll, tosses her favorite golden ball into the air. It lands in a spring and she is startled by a nearby frog, who speaks to her. He will rescue her ball, if she agrees to carry out certain wishes. More interested in his retrieving her ball than what he asks of her, she tells him that she agrees to his wishes but really has no intention of doing so once she has her ball back in her hands.
What were the wishes? Does the ugly frog turn into a handsome prince? If so, why was the prince a frog in the first place? And does the couple live happily ever after? Puppeteer Sprague has all the answers to this charming, romantic tale.
Sprague, who has appeared many times at Ventfort Hall, has been a puppeteer since childhood. He has inherited a collection of 60 Czech marionettes, each about 8 inches tall, which were assembled by his great-grandfather Julius Hybler, with purchased heads and handmade costumes.
Hybler's legacy also includes two marionette theaters. Sprague is perhaps better known as a set designer for such motion pictures as "The Royal Tenenbaums," for which he received an Art Director's Guild nomination, and Martin Scorcese's "The Age of Innocence." He has also designed for countless theater productions including Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Music-Theatre Group, Mixed Company, Miniature Theatre of Chester and Albany Berkshire Ballet. He lives in Stockbridge with his wife, Susan, and their son and daughter.
Admission to the show, reception and tea is $15 per person, $12 for members of the Ventfort Hall Association; $5 for children 6 to 17, and free for children 5 and under. Children must be accompanied by adults. For further information and to make reservations, call 413-637-3206. The mansion is located at 104 Walker St.
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