Marionettes have the ability to inspire awe or a feeling of unease. Despite the raucous time the von Trapp kids had putting on that show set to “The Lonely Goatherd,” the puppets looked a little freaky close up on television or a movie screen. And can anyone honestly say watching John Cusack playing with a marionette version of himself in the 1999 film “Being John Malkovich” didn’t seem odd? When it comes right down to it, the puppets are too lifelike to not boggle the mind. But is that necessarily a bad thing? The Cashore Marionettes are breathtaking in their likeness to actual humans, which enables the audience to emotionally connect to the wordless scenes that make up “Life in Motion.” Staged in short vignettes depicting snapshots from everyday life, the show sets these actions against the mesmerizing music of Beethoven and Vivaldi. The man behind the curtain, Joseph Cashore, has been designing and performing with these handmade creations for more than 30 years. This event entertains the notion that sometimes it takes diminutive, stringed objects to move us to appreciate life’s small joys. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. $25-$22; 815-356-9212 or rauecenter.org.
———–
Have a tip?
E-mail suburban events to [email protected]