Puppet shows have a much more ancient history than any other types and genres of theatrical art. But, having survived the centuries and different historical structures, the puppet theater still has not lost its popularity. His performances are always popular with both young and adult audiences.
Puppet shows of antiquity and the middle ages
The first mentions of the simplest puppet shows are associated with the ancient Egyptian religious mysteries, which were based on the myth of the death and resurrection of Osiris. Their direct participants were dolls depicting Osiris and Isis, although in this case they played a passive role.
In Ancient Greece and Rome, home puppet shows were very popular, decorations and dolls for which were made by hand. At this time, the first dolls were created, set in motion with steam and straps attached to the arms and legs.
In the Middle Ages, puppet shows were most often shown in the streets and squares. Wandering puppeteers moved from city to city and, pulling large pieces of cloth between the posts, showed performances over them, often based on very serious, lyrical and dramatic plots. Scientists have long proved that in the performances of itinerant puppeteers there were scenes that were later used by professional playwrights in such outstanding works as Romeo and Juliet, Faust and King Lear.
The most popular character in satirical performances was Pulcinella, whose image first appeared at the end of the 16th century in the Italian comedy of masks. This image has gained such wide popularity that in most European countries it has numerous "brothers". Among them are English Punch, French Punchinelle and, of course, Russian Parsley.
Theater of Petrushka
In Russia, the Petrushka theater became widespread at the end of the 18th century. The main accessories of the parsley were a folding screen and a set of dolls, which were put into a box at the end of the performance. The puppeteer's assistant was an organ-grinder.
The hero of such performances was the long-nosed, loud and not at all harmless Petrushka, who spoke in a sharp, shrill voice. To create such a timbre, the puppeteer took a special device in his mouth, which was called a "peep". Of course, it was not very convenient to speak with a squeak in your mouth, and here the organ-grinder came to the aid of the puppeteer. He entered into a dialogue with Petrushka, as if asking again and, thus, repeating incomprehensible phrases for the public.
And although all the itinerant puppeteers performed, in fact, the same show with small variations, the popularity of the parsley comedy was unusually high among the people.
