Fun with strings attached

A room full of children giggled in excitement as red-striped candy cane figures and dancing reindeer made an appearance from behind a red curtain on Sunday at the Parlour Hall at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

A cast of marionette Christmas characters entertained parishioners with a little help from their human puppeteers who controlled their every move with strings.

The marionettes interacted with the children as they walked, danced, raised their hands and feet and moved their heads. Some children laughed while others reacted with surprise as the puppets moved close to them and even sat on their laps.

Dancing Christmas presents and skating snowmen also delighted children and their parents who stayed after the morning church service for the show.

“It’s a great fun thing for Christmas,” Sherry Entz, a Burbank resident, said.

One of the crowd’s favorites was a black cat who wore stiletto heels and a pink scarf.

The puppeteer controlled the cat’s every move to the music of “Santa Baby.” The cat made her way around the room as a cabaret dancer; shrugging her shoulders and kicking up her heels.

Emily Entz, 7, Entz’s daughter, laughed as the cat sat on her lap with her legs crossed.

“The kitty was cute,” Emily said.

Emily’s 6-year-old brother Hyatt liked Rudolph. The reindeer came out from behind the red curtain as Santa and Mrs. Claus joined him in a song. Rudolph’s nose started to glow when the children sang “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

The puppeteers who entertained the crowd were from the Los Angeles-based Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

Glendale resident Kiersten Taylor Hall and her 2-year-old daughter Grace came to see the marionettes.

“I loved it and I use to go to the Bob Baker theater when I was 5,” Hall said as she held Grace in her arms.

Grace also had a favorite marionette.

“Mrs. Claus,” she said with a soft voice.

Seth Newman, 18, came to the show with his aunt and 8-year-old cousin Megan Henry, of Tujunga. It was the first time that Newman, who was visiting from Indiana, was seeing a live marionette show.

“Well, seeing that I’m into acting, it was interesting to watch,” he said. “It’s a form of acting. It takes a lot of skill and concentration.”

Diane Rothhammer’s children, 9-year-old Michael and 7-year-old Gabriela, reacted each time a marionette approached them. Michael crawled after the marionettes as they left his side.

“He was so excited he thought he was a marionette himself,” Rothhammer said of her son.

Rothhammer, a Glendale resident, enjoyed the show as much as her children, she said.

“I liked the sexy cat,” Rothhammer said. “She made me laugh as an adult.”

?ANI AMIRKHANIAN is a news assistant. She may be reached at (818) 637-3230 or by e-mail at ani.amirkhanian@latimes.com.