Honolulu Weekly

Long before Bluetooth and wrist straps tricked out a television, strings pulled by hand could tickle the minds of children. Still do, in fact. So entice those littleuns away from the Wii this weekend before they puncture the plasma screen and get ‘em to exercise their imaginations, not just their forearms.

Haul them off to Kennedy Theatre to experience the magic of Jim Gamble and his puppets.

Gamble, now in his 45th year in the business, is a master puppeteer with expertise in several different forms of the art. He is world-renowned for his marionette building and manipulation, but Gamble has also ventured into such Asian forms as shadow puppets and the multi-person puppetry of Japan known as Bunraku.

For this, his 30th year of visiting Hawai’i, Gamble will present two public performances of ‘Circus!’–his tribute to calliope music, circus bands and marionettes. These marionettes are specially designed by Gamble to perform tricks and include a strong man, a clown, a high-wire act and even a lion tamer and lion. His shows are recommended for ages 3 and up, so don’t be afraid to go yourself–assuming you can let go of the Wii remote long enough to drive.

Kennedy Theatre Mainstage, 1770 East West Rd., Sat. 1/6, 7pm, Sun. 1/7, 2pm, $12 general, $11 seniors, military and UH faculty/staff, $10, $5 UHM students with valid ID, 483-7123 or [www.etickethawaii.com].