Decades Later, a Classic Marionette Show Returns

"The Enchanted Toyshop" will frolic at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

What to Know

  • June 16 opening
  • $15
  • First staged as "Toyland Review" in 1963

Ever tried to explain something you experienced, back when you were a child, to your kids or grandkids now?

An experience that can't be had again, so you basically have to act out the magic, and paint them a picture with words, and hope you've conveyed the fantastical feeling you had as a tot? Like seeing marionettes frolic in the classic "Toyland Review"?

Many of the local young'uns who saw the magical production at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater back in 1963 are now parents and grandparents, but treating their own progeny to this specific show hasn't been possible, as the historic venue hasn't put "Toyland Review" back on stage in two decades.

That's all changing starting on Saturday, June 16 when "Enchanted Toyshop," the fresh handle for the production, dances again at the DTLA-close theater.

"From animated cuckoo clocks to tumbling teddy bears, from jack-in-the-boxes to wooden soldiers, 'Enchanted Toyshop' is a universal exploration of the childlike wonder and fantasy that kids of all ages should embrace and envision."

And a special treat in the show, if you loved 1975's "Escape from Witch Mountain": The Bob Baker marionettes seen in the Disney movie will appear in "Enchanted Toyshop in a "... re-staging of a classic sequence." 

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It's a revival that the theater is calling "ambitious," and with good reason, for many of the puppets had to be restored, and props and backdrops found or fixed. Further, the team wanted the "antiquated soundtrack audio" to remain true to what audiences first heard decades ago.

Did you see it in 1963? Or the 1998 revival? Have you told the kids or grandchildren of its gleeful wonder and spritely sparkle?

Here's your opportunity to join them, in the beautiful vintage theater, to see the toyshop again spring to life.

A ticket to a performance is $15. Look for the marionettes to spring to life during weekend matinees and weekday mornings.

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