MiMI PRESS
As a child, Vincent moved around a lot and didn't have many friends.
Fusing his inherent craftsmanship with what he calls a natural knack
for performing, he began making companions in the form of puppets
and bringing them to life through puppet shows.
Though it was a natural extension of his life at that time, his
desire to try different things moved him in a new direction. For
about two decades, Vincent, also known as "Geppetto," laid the
puppets to rest. He opened a tattoo and piercing studio in Denver,
but the puppet urge came knocking again in 2000, and he knew he had
to answer.
He went back into the puppet realm full-force. His cable-access
puppet show Dante's Place had a two-year run, and he created a
puppet adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Pearl, which was
commissioned by California State University, Fullerton. He also
received an award from the Centennial Heritage Museum in Santa Ana,
Calif., for working with kids to make puppets from trash and
recyclables.
In 2003, Vincent came up with the idea for his current show, A Night
at Miss MiMi's, featuring puppet host Miss MiMi and an array of
puppet performers doing traditional burlesque acts. At the time, he
didn't have the money to put the plan into action. Then a friend
told him about the Creative Capital Foundation, a New York
City-based organization that acts as a catalyst for imaginative
performers. After wowing the group with his pitch, Vincent was
chosen out of thousands of applicants as one of 11 to be awarded a
grant, in addition to advisory assistance.
After much hard work, Vincent and his puppeteer troupe are taking
the show on the road, with a two-night stop in downtown Phoenix at
the home for unique performances: the Trunk Space. Miss MiMi's is a
must-see. Vincent and his crew at Geppetto Dreams have created a
stellar addition to the thriving neo-burlesque movement. It's a
wildly engaging and fun show that stuns from beginning to end with
its spot-on homage to the comedy, dance and music of the beloved art
form. It's vaudeville at its finest: eight zany acts featuring six
36-inch anthropomorphic puppets that ooze with personality, wit and
sultry surprise.
The puppetry is a mix of Western rod-style and Japanese Bunraku, in
which the puppeteers are visible to the audience. Vincent said he
likes the audience to see the teamwork involved in putting a puppet
dance number into motion. With characters this lively and realistic,
no fantasy is lost by witnessing the crew at work.
The show lasts about an hour, and a 20-minute question-and-answer
session follows. Select audience members will be invited on stage
for a hands-on puppet lesson.