Canadian act lights up Orono> Puppets spring to life

The most astounding work done by the Famous People Players, a Canadian group that performed Thursday at the Maine Center for the Arts, is not what you do see, but what you don’t see. The company uses “black light” performance techniques that illuminate life-size puppets and fluorescent props with ultraviolet lights, while agile movers work the images seamlessly in the dark.

What’s more, the cast is made up of developmentally handicapped actors who, through the vision of Diane Lynn Dupuy, have realized their creative potential and now share it with others in brilliantly lit and humorously charged shows.

Dupuy founded the group 25 years ago to prove these special citizens could lead satisfying and productive lives. And her show, which has played successfully on Broadway and internationally, is a testament to that philosophy.

Although Dupuy’s organization has a variety of life-skills programs, the one that came to the Maine Center was a playhouse revue of popular music during this century. To each original recording delivered on the loudspeaker system, the players brought vibrantly colored, sometimes wonderfully ridiculous puppets to life. A rooster got down during the Rolling Stones tune “Red Rooster.” Ray Charles hit the keyboard on “Hit the Road Jack.” Tina Turner, complete with wild orange wig and lanky legs, strutted to “Rollin’ on the River.” A 10-foot rose sang “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”

The audience, well represented by enchanted children, giggled and guffawed. The kids sang along to “Lollipop,” “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” and “Monster Mash.”

Naturally, in more than 20 numbers, some were less engaging than others. But by the time the lights came up and exposed the hidden craft during “Jailhouse Rock,” featuring three players manipulating an Elvis puppet, the audience had been truly tickled by this panoply of visual delights.