DAVE HERZOG AND HIS MARIONETTES

DAVE HERZOG AND HIS MARIONETTES

Dave Herzog has been involved in the art of puppetry since receiving a toy marionette from his father when he was four years old.

As a full time professional puppeteer for 38 years Dave has performed thousands of shows in theaters, amusement parks, schools, and libraries nationwide.

Well known to audiences throughout the Chicago land area, Dave is a popular guest at hundreds of schools, preschools, summer camps, libraries, fairs, and festivals each year. Dave has also been a frequent performer at Chicago’s world famous Navy Pier fourteen years, and is the creator of one of the Pier’s signature characters Fathom the Sea Serpent.

In addition to his own company Dave has been a guest performer with Chicago’s acclaimed  Hystopolis productions, and made his New York stage début with the company in 1991 at the famed off broad way Joseph Papp Public Theater. Dave is also proud to be associated with Chicago’s spectacular Emerald City Children’s Theater, having created marionettes for their critically acclaimed productions of A Fairy Tale Life, and Dr. Dolittle, and A Nutty Nutcracker. Dave also serves as the Great Lakes Regional Director of The Puppeteers of America, is the Vice-president of the Chicagoland Puppetry Guild, and serves as the Guild Newsletter editor

Dave Herzog’s Marionettes is a full time professional puppet company specializing in the art of the marionette, and dedicated to preserving the uniquely American art form of the marionette variety show. Not only does Dave perform some 375 shows a year , he also creates all of the beautiful hand carved marionettes used in his dazzling performances.

WHAT IS A MARIONETTE VARIETY SHOW ?

A marionette variety show is, as the name applies, a variety show made up of
various acts performed by marionettes also know as string puppets. With roots
going back hundreds, if not thousands of years, the marionette variety show is a
relative of Italian Comedia Del Arte, English street performers known as Buskers ,
Mr. Punch, and American Vaudeville of the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

The form of the marionette variety show as performed today is most commonly
attributed to mid twentieth century puppeteer Frank Paris who developed a night
club act using large short strung marionettes made to resemble movie stars of his
day such as Sonje Henie, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rodgers, and Carmen Miranda,
which he operated in full view of the audience in swirling circles around him on a
small stage that could be easily wheeled right out onto a night club dance floor or
stage. For this reason marionette variety shows are often referred to as cabaret style
or floor show puppetry.

Today most puppeteers have adapted this style of performance to family
entertainment. In a typical variety show performed by Dave Herzog’s Marionettes
you will see marionettes that sing, dance, and perform specialty acts such as tight
rope walking, roller, or ice skating, acrobatics, trapeze, and other circus, or
vaudeville acts.

Dave Herzog’s Marionettes variety shows have various themes such as, animals, the
circus, patriotic, Halloween, Christmas, or pirates to name a few. Our marionettes
are accompanied by a pre -recorded sound track featuring musical selections
ranging from Classical to Pop. Our favorite composer is Leroy Anderson.[1908 -
1975] Several of Mr. Anderson’s compositions such as The Syncopated Clock, The
Waltzing Cat, and Bugler’s Holiday are used in all of our performances.

Dave Herzog’s Marionette variety shows come as a self contained unit with our own
stage lights and sound. All we need is a space 12 feet wide by 10 feet deep with a
ceiling heights of at least eight feet, and one electrical outlet, and of course an
audience eager to be entertained by this amazing, and unique art form.