ITALY: Sicilian Puppet Shows for Adults

Puppet shows in Sicily are a cultural tradition that originated in the 1830’s.

The Opera dei Pupi features large, elaborately crafted puppets that tell epic tales of medieval knights, battles, duels, sorcery, love, betrayal and honor.

Traditionally, crowds gathered in small neighborhood theaters to see their favorite heroes brought to life in nightly episodes that were full of suspense and flair.

They were like a medieval soap opera, but puppet-style.

The Sicilian puppet theatre is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

 

 

 

John and I went knowing full well that with our lack of Italian language skills we would have no clue what was going on.

 But, Sicily has always had a rich oral tradition and story boards visually help tell the story.

Historically, puppet theatre was popular, especially in working-class neighborhoods where literacy was low and books were expensive. The neighborhood theatres were small and intimate.

People wanted entertainment that was dramatic, visual, and accessible. The performances brought to life legendary tales of Charlemagne and epic battles between Christian knights and Saracen warriors with medieval romance, chivalry, local color, emotion and flair.

 

 

They were rich, emotional dramas full of duels, monsters, forbidden love, divine intervention, heroism, love, vengeance, and moral dilemmas with heroic sacrifice. They were popular with working-class adults who could relate to the struggles of the puppet heroes.

The tales were already known but puppets made them visual and dramatic, and, accessible to everyone.

 

Puppet shows were often serialized and each night there was a new episode, filled with duels, dragons, betrayals, and cliffhangers. One night you’d see the beginning of Orlando’s journey, the next night his battle with a Saracen knight, and maybe the week would end with a cliffhanger. 

 

 

People would come back night after night to find out what happened next. They were no different than today's soap operas, reality shows or Netflix series. 

Each puppet—known as a “pupo”—is handcrafted from wood and metal, and often weighing up to 30 kg (66 pounds), they are elaborately dressed in engraved armor painted with vibrant details, colorful cloaks, and expressive facial features.

 

 

 The Puppet Masters ("pupari") manipulate the puppets using strings or rods, deliver the dialogue in different voices, and even create the sound effects. In many families, the craft of puppetry has been passed down from generation to generation, keeping the tradition alive. A father might build the puppets, the sons would perform, and the mother or daughters might help with the costumes or ticket sales. 

The lone female in the cast.

There were interchangeable heads.

The most amazing thing was that our eyes adjusted to the size of the stage and the puppets enacting the drama. So much so, that at the end of the show when the puppeteers came on stage for their accolades, both John and I gasped at their size! They looked like GIANTS! Then, we realized, they were not giants, it was that the puppets and stage were smaller than we realized.

Close to 200 years later, with different costumes, different dialogue, different medium of TV’s, movies theatre screens, or computer screens, people still like to be entertained with stories about other people’s lives.

Some things never change.