DATE: Saturday, April 19, 1997              TAG: 9704190837

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Guy Friddell 

                                            LENGTH:   54 lines

PUPPET SHOW A HANDY WAY TO SHOW PLIGHT OF RAIN FORESTS

As a child, my goal was to explore tropical rain forests; but time is running out for both of us, thousands of acres a day for them and hours fast dwindling for me.

Ah well, there's a show in town Sunday at the Virginia Zoo, ``The Water Tree,'' that would have enthralled me at age 8 and now stirs my curiosity for itself and the impact it has on today's children.

Staged in the zoo's exhibition tent at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. by the Arm-of-the-Sea Theater of New York, it is open free to those who have paid the zoo's regular admission fees of $2 for adults, $1 for seniors and children ages 2 through 11, and free for children under 2.

Using the traditions of masks, puppet theater, live music and vivid scenery, the ensemble of half a dozen explores the theme of conserving the rain forests.

Founded in 1982 by Patrick Wadden and his wife, Marleno Marallo, the movement flourished in the Hudson River Valley and, supported by several foundations, spread like crab grass.

The current fable has played at 150 stages cross-country, including New York's Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors. Agent Annie Tiberio sent me half a dozen testimonials, including one from Jenneth Webster of the Lincoln Center, who wrote:

``You have surpassed yourself with this beautiful work, with its timely message and its mysteriously lovely visuals. The fact that there are no spoken words makes it available to all audiences.''

From Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, arts coordinator Priscilla Johnson said, ``It was one of the most unusual family events that we have presented, and a very successful one.

``The production was thought-provoking, beautifully performed, imaginative, and held the attention of all - from seniors to little ones. It looked beautiful in our setting; in fact, perfect.''

``Everyone who experienced `The Water Tree' was completely captivated and very moved,'' wrote Charlie Summers of the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

Newspaper reviews glowed.

``They have a mission to make people think, and they practice their own form of drama,'' said agent Tiberio.

The plot presents a stunning forest in which exotic birds fly by, huge flowers bloom, gigantic butterflies float from among blossoms, until greed enters in the grotesque person of The Dealer. The ending is happy, as we hope it will prove in living rain forests.

Ranging from 15 inches to 15 feet are 101 puppets of all kinds: rod puppets, hand puppets, body puppets. The troupe travels in a bus practically tattooed with bright designs, a kind of rolling billboard, a show in itself.

I may go out there just to look at the bus. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Illustration]

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