NORWICH — Of all the vegetables, the potato is perhaps the most nondescript of the bunch. It lacks the eye-catching colors of the carrot, the clownish appearance of broccoli, and the pungent smell and layered intricacy of the onion.
Lumpy and pale, the potato sits in its plastic sack at the grocery store, waiting to be pureed into an even paler soup, or rendered soft and digestible in a pot of stew.
But the potatoes in Sharon artist Ria Blaas’ puppet show “Pattie Peels Out,” in performance this weekend at Norwich’s Beaver Meadow Chapel, are far more complex — carbohydrates aside — than their real-life counterparts.
Bulbous balls made from stuffed stockings, these tubers have fears, hopes, desires.
The long-lashed Pattie, voiced by Glennis Gold, of Norwich, longs to explore the world beyond the rigid confines of the potato box where she and the others live in safety. Meanwhile, Big Potato holds on to the possibility of reuniting with his long-lost son, Spud, a kind of prodigal son in potato form.
As group leader, Big Potato, played by Cody Williams, eventually persuades the others to leave the comfort of the potato box and embark on a quest to find Spud.
It’s a grand adventure, but the technical elements of “Pattie” are relatively simple. As Blaas put it, the show is just “a bunch of balls hopping around.”
The way she sees it, that’s the beauty of puppetry: the story hinges on the puppeteer’s imagination, not the bells and whistles of the production.
“You can do a puppet show with everything,” she said in an interview at Beaver Meadow Schoolhouse in Norwich where the three puppeteers have been rehearsing, by which she means that puppetry can include anything.
Blaas’ childhood in the Netherlands exposed her to Europe’s long tradition of puppet shows such as “Punch and Judy,” and she’s been making her own for decades.
“A lot of people think (puppet shows) are just for kids and that’s absolutely not true in Europe,” Blaas said.
That sentiment is reflected in “Pattie,” which is as much for adults as it is for children.
Years of staging shows has taught her that the best ones come from testing the puppets’ limits, learning how they move, what makes them funny, and how their dynamics shift depending on the puppeteers guiding them.
“I can see when a puppet show is written from behind the desk,” said Blaas, as opposed to inside the theater.
She’s performed different versions of “Pattie” before, in 1992 at River City Arts, the now-closed White River Junction theater, and in 2007 at “Puppet Extravaganza,” a multi-day showcase Blaas and her puppeteering collaborator Gabriel Q. organized at the Main Street Museum.
The 2007 performance left an impression on Gold. She’s collaborated with Blaas on puppet shows before, and this year she recommended that they stage “Pattie.”
Last year’s production of “A Christmas Story” drew crowds to the chapel, so this year Blaas and Gold recommend audience members arrive early to secure a seat. A woodstove will be burning during the performance, but visitors should bundle up all the same. Parking will be available at the chapel and a short walk away at the schoolhouse.
Compared to Europe, the U.S. has never had a particularly rich tradition of puppetry, save for “Mr. Rogers” and Jim Henson’s “Muppets,” Blaas noted.
Children today, who are growing up decades after the heyday of “Muppets” and Henson’s films such as “Labyrinth” and “The Dark Crystal,” are even less likely to have been exposed to puppetry than previous generations.
The ubiquity of video games, and YouTube channels and TV marketed to children mean that kids have far more options for entertainment before they decide to make up a story using dolls, or a pile of potatoes, to keep them occupied.
Nonetheless, Blaas continues to witness children fall under the spell of her creations, so perhaps the magic of puppetry still holds true, even in today’s digital world.
“It’s simple, but it’s also real,” Blaas said. “A screen is not real.”
Performances of “Pattie Peels Out” are scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, Sunday, Dec. 14, and Tuesday, Dec. 23. at Beaver Meadow Chapel in Norwich. Admission is free; donations are welcome. For more information, go to beavermeadowcommunity.com.
Get ready to WRIF
Discounted “Early Bird” passes for the White River Indie Film Festival at JAM (Junction Arts and Media) go on sale on Friday. Go to uvjam.org to purchase passes and learn about the festival, which is slated for March 1 through 8.
Holiday rock
The young musicians from Tuck’s Rock Dojo will perform a holiday concert from 5 to 8 p.m. this Sunday at Sawtooth Kitchen, Bar and Stage in Hanover. The event is free and open to the public. To learn more, go to sawtoothkitchen.com or call 603-643-5134.
Woodstock Wassail
Woodstock’s Wassail weekend kicks off this Friday with a 4:30 candlelit procession from East End Park to the Village Green, followed by a ticketed performance ($10-$30) from New York City chamber music ensemble Frisson at the Town Hall Theatre. To learn about the rest of the weekend’s festivities and purchase tickets, go to pentanglearts.org or call 802-457-3981.
Ballet in Claremont
“Clara Dreamz,” billed as a modern take on Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet “The Nutcracker,” is up at Claremont Opera House at 6 p.m. this Friday and 2 p.m. this Saturday. The show is produced by Dreamz in Motion, a dance company and school based in Springfield, Vt. To learn more and purchase tickets ($19-$22 online), go to cohnh.org.
Junction rave
The Filling Station, White River Junction’s friendly neighborhood watering hole, is encouraging people to “get slushy” at the bar’s queer rave from 7 to 11 p.m. this Saturday. Epic beats will be provided by DJ JagzX and DJ Cartier. The dress code is retro ski jackets, chrome and neon. Entry is $5. To learn more, visit the bar’s Instagram page @thefillingstationwrj.