News > Spoleto 2015 Review: The Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre

Art Mag’s Exclusive Spoleto Festival Coverage

The Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre brings the thousand-year-old Vietnamese art form to Charleston. A large pool of water and pagoda sets the background for colorful puppets that shed light on the life of the people of rural Vietnam. This in an interactive performance, as audience response is encouraged and shows excitement for the performance.

An overture opens the evening, performed by an ensemble flanking both sides of the stage. The musicians played traditional Vietnamese music on traditional Vietnamese instruments, including the Dan Trang (Zither), Sao (Flute), Dan Nhi (Fiddle), Dan Bau (One String Zither), and Trong (Drums). The water began swirling, building anticipation for the entrance of the characters. The first puppet to appear is Teu, the narrator, who is followed by thirteen short scenes depicting spiritual animals, working in the rice fields, fishing, racing, and natural predators. Fan favorites included dueling dragons that breathed fireworks, and a man and his wife defending their ducks from a fox. The final performance brings out the four spiritual animals, a dragon, a unicorn, a phoenix, and a tortoise that dance together as a closing reunion.

It is still a mystery how exactly the puppeteers pull off this performance. At the end of the show they come out from around the bamboo curtain to take their bows and are up to their stomachs in the murky white water. The mystery is part of the tradition, but I would have loved a closer view of the puppets and a sneak peek behind the bamboo curtain. This show is wonderfully approprite for all ages, as it is both culturally and creatively entertaining.

Future Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre Performances: June 3 – 7, Tickets

Words: Rachel McDermott
Images courtesy Spoleto Festival USA