The longest night of the puppet is the golden closing of Puppets to the Center and this Saturday there were no doubts. The boulevard was a party from end to end and the three squares designed for the shows remained small, in front of the crowd of children and parents, who ran every time the curtain fell and the invitation to move to the next point arrived.
It was Polichinela with Five Actors in Search of a Story, a play that narrates the classic La Cucarachita Martina in a different and fresh way, who started the presentations. Later, it was the turn of Guiñol from Guantánamo with Opalín y el Diablo, a play that weaves the story of a chance encounter between the two characters, full of puppeteer adventures, sound effects and stage games.
In front of the portal of the Cuban Fund for Cultural Assets, the Mejunje Theater Company with Dramatized Literary Prints and the Guerrilla of theater performers, from Granma, performed with puppets, clowns and varieties that achieved a harmonious exchange with the children, who ended up singing, dancing and answering each of the questions that the actors threw into the air.
A snake in trouble, with the glove puppet technique and the excellent vocal projection of the artist, made the Guiñol from Guantánamo another luxury on stage, and the boys responded with their faces of astonishment every time the snake shrank and twisted almost naturally.
The last stop of the puppet train was Parque Martí, after 11:00 at night, when it seemed too late for the children. However, against all odds, the audience did not dwindle and the hilarity of each performance continued to draw cheers and applause.
Mega Caramelazo was the closing proposal, which was carried out by Polichinela and Guiñol de Remedios, a very sweet fusion that demonstrated the versatility of the actors and the magic of puppet theater, which here had its plus under the starry sky and with the satisfaction of having met a tight work schedule, when it seemed least likely. Puppets to the Center broadens horizons and bids to resist.
