Having celebrities like Madonna and the Beatles on stage at the same time as the Nutcraker ensemble and various animals is not unusual for one theater company that has come a long way from Broadway.

Displaying a flourishing show of colorful, oversized puppets, the Famous People Players will present A Magical Christmas at 8 p.m. Friday in Shryock Auditorium.

The Canadian theater company has been a world-wide success traveling from New York to Japan, entertaining crowds with stuffed characters under fluorescent colors and black light.

Advertisement

The group travels around the country four times a year amusing crowds with the mere presence of well-known faces and characters.

Diane Dupuy, founder and director, said the group’s black light show of famous puppets is to entice all audiences, children as well as adults.

It’s good for all ages from two weeks to 102 years-old, Dupuy said. We try to find something everyone likes. I think it brings out the child in all of us.

During one show, Mary Thorton, head of visual art effects, recalls witnessing a moving entrance by one of the company’s old-time fans.

She was a 102-years-old, and she walked in all by herself, Thornton said. She said she had heard so much about it from her nursing home buddies. I don’t know what it is about the show, but it really moves people.

Melissa Jakubowski, publicity assistant for Shryock Auditorium, said that after reviewing videotapes of the Famous People Players, she is sure they will move Shryock’s crowd Friday night.

I just think it’s amazing how they create this magical show, she said. There’s giant flowers and sugar cubes on stage, and giant angels sing Silent Night.’ You kind of have to see it to believe it.

Advertisement*

Thorton said that after 23 years of creating hundreds of stuffed characters, it tends to become a bit overwhelming.

At the age of 80, Thorton spends weeks at a time producing foam-made celebrity and animal-like puppets, which are sometimes 10-feet tall, for each show.

It’s bigger and harder to compete with oneself, she said. We have to do better than before. We travel with 578 items, and it’s all transpired into two hours on stage. That’s why we have so much to show.

The group has been featured on shows such as Good Morning America, The Phil Donahue Show and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.

The Famous People Players rehearse for shows year-round to guarantee improvement each time.

Dupuy said constructing such a elaborate show requires complete attention from everyone involved.

It takes time, and there’s hours and hours of repetition, she said. Then it’s selecting the music and coming up with characters to match the music. It’s like drawing a cartoon. Each second has to create animation.

Thornton said with Dupuy’s, who is also her daughter, creative ideas, producing the elements for the amusing show is made simple.

Diane (Dupuy) chooses the characters, she said. I make the life-size puppets very colorful to be more visual and imaginative. I guess someone has to be kind of crazy or something to come up with this.

Producing shows for all crowds calls for inquiring into the entertainment world. Famous People Players has produced shows that present tales and songs of the well-known faces of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Barbara Streisand.

You have to get people who are recognizable, Dupuy said. They must be well-known. But it’s all to entertain.

Entertain is what the Famous People Players has done with such supporters as Phil Collins and Paul Newman. Both have made large contributions to the company.

I just always wanted to own my own theater company, Dupuy said. I was enthralled with the young people. I thought it was a good idea to display their talents because we all have a creative chord inside us.

The young people Dupuy speaks of passionately are the 12 developmentally challenged young adults who make up the Famous People Players.

Dupuy said it is not important that the performers are challenged because they are normal people and perform the job well enough to be a success.

Although it takes about six people to control the strings of each prop, Thornton said the performers’ capabilities are not a concern because they are like everyone else.

We forget about the disabilities because everyone is equal here, Thornton said. We give them a chance and everyone is treated the same.

Fulfilling her passion to create animation, Thornton said she plans to continue for as long as she is able.

It gets mind-boggling sometimes with one show after the other, but I kind of still think I’m 30- or 40-years old, she said. I’ll keep on until I find something better. But I really can’t see anything better or as rewarding as this.

Excited about performing at Shryock, Dupuy said she encourages all people to attend the show for positive, inspirational fun.

When we’re a world with such negative influence, it is important that parents bring their kids, Dupuy said. And it’s a show that is not to be missed.

FACTOID:The Famous People Players will perform at A Magical Christmas at 8 p.m. Friday at Shryock Auditorium. Tickets for the show are $15.50 and $13.50. Tickets can be purchased at the Shryock box office, or charge by phone at 453-2787.