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THE NATIVITY
 Between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, miracle or mystery plays began in the churches of England and France. These pageants began with the nativity and then grew to other stories from the Bible. They were first performed by the priests but eventually the guilds took over their production, and the performances moved outside of the church and became more secular. Some early references to the figures called them “motions,” an early word for puppet. In France, the story goes that these dramas were called “little Marys” or marionettes. The priests and later the guilds would set up stations and the dramas could be viewed throughout the church as the audience moved from station to station. Today you get to sit still, but we hope our little play moves you as well.
THE
DINOSAUR SHOW
No
bones about it - The Dinosaur Show will tickle your funny-fossil
and stimulate your scientific imagination. The Paul Mesner
Puppets bring dinosaurs to life using hand, rod, shadow and
body puppets. The hilarious production explains facts of natural
history proving how dinosaurs became extinct and also includes
some whimsical and improbable theories. In the cameo role
of Dr. Dino Sawyer, Paul Mesner entertains with a fascinating
look at what was, is and what might have been.
RAPUNZEL
The
Paul Mesner Puppets presents a veggie wonderful love story
about two avid gardeners, Okra and Romaine, who meet, marry
and have a beautiful daughter named Rapunzel. An evil witch,
who forced Romaine to promise that he would give up his first-born
child many years before, returns to claim the lovely child
for her own. Rapunzel is taken to live in a tower and her
future looks bleak until the Prince arrives and Rapunzel hatches
a plan to escape he evil captor and leaf happily ever alfalfa.
RUMPLESTILTSKIN
In
olden days, people teased out fantastical stories to pass
the time while spinning wool and flax for yarn and cloth.
From this age-old tradition of "spinning" tales,
The Paul Mesner Puppets weaves a timeless classic, Rumplestiltskin.
To become a queen, a poor miller girl spins straw into gold
and with the magical help of a strange little man. But there
is a snag....and only the clever young queen can untangle
the problem.
 SLEEPING
BEAUTY
The
Paul Mesner Puppets pulls out all the stops in this hilarious
one-man tour-de-farce. Set in a tall, magical castle, this
is the classic fairy tale told with some quirky twists. There's
the fateful curse, good and evil fairies, and a dashing prince
battling a dragon. You'll also see two finicky royal chefs,
a helpful hound who does tricks, a fortune-telling frog, a
tuneful Royal trumpeter, a cooing and curious baby Princess,
a Queen who loves taking baths and a King who can't get enough
of his pet polo pony!
WILEY
AND THE HAIRY MAN 
Wiley
and The Hairy Man tells of the strong bond between a mother
and son. They live near the Tombigbee River with their faithful
dog and friendly farm animals pestered by the local menace
- The Hairy Man. Wiley and Mom match wits with this hirsute
beast who resides in a nearby swamp. By listening and cooperating
Wiley and his clever mother drive away the menacing Hairy
Man Forever.
 ANANSI THE SPIDER
Anansi the Spider is a lively telling of four classic folk tales from Africa and the Caribbean. All these humorous stories feature a trickster spider who sometimes gets tricked himself. In “How the Stories Came to the World”, “Tiger Becomes a Riding Horse”, The Magic of Five” and “Dinner for Two”, Anansi the Spider offers universal lessons of wit and cleverness.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Working from early and first-published versions of this classic tale, the Paul Mesner Puppets’ Beauty and the Beast brings to fore some quirky and unusual details that are left out of the streamlined and sanitized versions so often presented. These variations offer vivid glimpses into our rich cultural heritage and a different approach to the story.
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