Galapagos Puppets and The Jimmy Zhao Chinese Music Ensemble

Galapagos Puppet Theater performers Madeleine Beresford and Margaret Moody collaborate with renowned Chinese folk musician Jimmy Zhao to present a riveting episode from the 400-year-old Chinese epic Journey to the West. Madeleine and Margaret studied the intricate art of Taiwanese hand puppetry (bodehi in Taiwanese, budaixi in Mandarin) with the late puppet master Li Tienlu. They use its acrobatic and delicate gestures to portray archetypal characters of warriors, clowns, maidens, and scholars.

Madeleine and Margaret have performed for children and adults at numerous libraries and schools. Diana Lu of New England Theatre Geek enthusiastically reviewed their appearance at the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, Mass. The Henson Foundation, the Puffin Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council have supported their work.

Jimmy Zhao’s ensemble improvises music and percussion to accentuate puppet movements and enhance the story, playing drums, bamboo flute, and stringed instruments including er-hu, pipa, and guzheng. Jimmy began performing folk music as a teenager in China, specializing in er-hu. In his 30-plus years in the U.S., he has collaborated with music groups ranging from Chinese opera troupes to jazz ensembles and has taught countless adults and children to play the folk music of his native land. Through his work as a teacher and performer, Jimmy brings the music of home to those who grew up in China, and he hopes that others will enjoy hearing new sounds and rhythms.