“River Critters”

 Celebrate spring and Mother’s Day with the show that’s been called our very best:

“River Critters”

Weekends of May 4-5 and 11-12

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturdays

2 p.m. Sundays

When Buddy goes fishing with his grandpa on the Mississippi River for the first time, he has no idea what will happen when he loses his shoe in the water. Without knowing it, he’s sharing a sunny day with a playful otter and his friend, a patient turtle, as well as a heron, an eagle, a raccoon, a catfish, a frog, a duckling and even a couple of fish flies.

“River Critters” is a hand, rod and shadow puppet show.

Kids is past audiences have been known to ask us about the “tank of water” they assume is backstage!

 

March show and a summer preview

 Spring is coming and with it our first production of 2024! Our 20th season at the Hazel Green Opera House!

“3 Bears, 3 Pigs, 3 Billy Goats Gruff”

In this marionette mashup of three favorite fairy tales, Goldilocks skips along blithely past shabbily built cottages, over a troll bridge and right into a seemingly abandoned log cabin.

Showtimes are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays

March 2-3 and 9-10

This show will also be available during the week between for school tours and other groups. 

Meanwhile, we are working on our summer library touring production of

“Fido’s Flea Circus”

This tabletop marionette show starts with an itchy dog who has not only fleas but an entire flea circus, complete with clowns, death-defying acts and exotic performers! Coming to a library near you (we hope) beginning in June. Check with your local library and ask them to book us.

Christmastime events

 There’s a lot going on at the Hazel Green Opera House and beyond this December.

Much of it has to do with gingerbread! First up: The second annual 

Gingerbread House Fundraiser for Grant County, Wis.

2-4 p.m. Saturday Dec. 2

Come and see gingerbread houses built in competition and auctioned off for charity at the end of the afternoon. It’s free, but bring your $$ for cookie concessions and tickets to vote for your favorites, as well as the auction.

On Sunday, Dec. 3, catch our booth at the Hazel Green Craft Fair, 10-3. Then,

In keeping with the gingerbread theme, we will present a brand-new Christmas production,

“The Gingerbread Chronicles”

11 am & 2 pm Saturday Dec. 9

2 pm Sunday Dec. 10

11 am & 2 pm Saturday Dec. 16

2 pm Sunday Dec. 17

11 am & 2 pm Wednesday Dec. 27

What happens when the Gingerbread Man gets mixed up with Hansel and Gretel? Here’s a clue: There’s a hungry fox, an oven, a magical cauldron, a helpful broom and a village full of people who make all the ingredients necessary for our favorite Christmas bakery.

But wait. There’s more! It all happens against a moving panorama scenery, known as a “crankie.”

Halloween Show

 After a bump on her green noggin, Witch Hazel Green finds herself off on 

                  “A Halloween Adventure” 

In the 45-minute, family-friendly show, Hazel and her little black cat make friends with a scarecrow girl, a skeleton and a cowardly cow as they travel the blacktop road to find The Big Cheese.

Performances will be 

11 am and 2 pm Saturday Oct. 21

2 pm Sunday Oct. 22

11 am and 2 pm Saturday Oct.  28

2 pm Sunday Oct. 29

Tickets are $5 per person and sold only at the door — cash or check only. Doors open a half hour before each performance.

Summertime

 We have had a wonderful spring season at the opera house, with great audiences for “Rapunzel” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” including mid-week school tours. 

Our summer will find us busy touring “Ivanushka and the Magic Horse” to area libraries. Please check with your local library to see if we are on their schedule. And if not, ask why not!

Have a great summer. When we are not “on tour,” we will be in our garden or swimming at Gov. Dodge State Park. We will also be working on our first new Christmas show in many years. It is going to be a mashup of “Hansel and Gretel” and “The Gingerbread Man,” with a working title of “The Gingerbread Chronicles.”  

It has a lot of working parts and Chuck is a little worried we won’t get it all done, but if it’s not ready for prime-time by November, we will go to Plan B (one of our other existing Christmas shows).

Stay tuned!

Rumpelstiltskin

 Following our hit production of “Rapunzel,” we’re mounting another fairytale that starts with “R.”

“Rumpelstiltskin”

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday April 29

2 p.m. Sunday April 30

11 a.m. & 2 p.m Saturday May 6

2 p.m. Sunday, May 7

As usual, we put the Fever River Puppeteers’ spin on a classic fairytale. So, besides the boastful miller and his poor daughter (the victim of his boasting), as well as the greedy and powerful king and Rumpelstiltskin himself, you’ll find our own Witch Hazel Green as well as a cameo performance by everyone’s favorite — Bossy the Cow! 

If you’ve ever been bothered by the fact that the miller’s daughter has to marry a king who seems particularly odious, then we think you will like our version in which the king eventually learns the error of his ways.

This show will also be available for mid-week touring, such as school groups after the first weekend. Please contact Sandye (608-732-7129) for more information.

‘Be 

Rapunzel

It gets expensive to buy enough hair care products for a girl with VERY long hair. That’s what Witch Hazel Green discovers in our production of

 “Rapunzel”

The marionette show will run the weekends of 

March 11-12 and 18-19

 at the historic 1891 Hazel Green Opera House, 2130 Main St. 

The Saturday shows are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Sunday shows are at 2 p.m.

The story begins with a forbidden garden inhabited by a scarecrow and a very unusual caretaker. Next door lives a pregnant queen who simply must have lettuce from the witch’s garden. Little does she know that the witch has been waiting for someone to activate a spell that will give her a child of her own to raise. By the time the witch figures out how difficult it is to keep a teenage girl in a tower, a handsome prince has made an appearance. And the rest is fairy tale history.

Tickets for the 45-minute marionette show are $5 per person. Tickets are not sold in advance. The doors open a half hour before each performance. 

For information, please call 608-732-7129 or email voight1970@me.com