Theater Review - Toys in the attic

The dish may or may not run away with the spoon in The Romantic Life of Everyday Objects, but Patti Smithsonian’s one-woman show, presented May 18-20 at the Center for Puppetry Arts, promises to find unexpected meaning in the most mundane bric-a-brac.

Smithsonian plays a high-powered career woman who rediscovers her childhood sense of wonder after locking herself in her attic. She witnesses castoff items from broken appliances to rusted tools to forgotten toys reveal their secret lives, underscored by Bob Tudor’s original music and Diann Sichel’s playful choreography.

A puppeteer and performer for more than 20 years and currently based at the Smokebrush Theater in Colorado Springs, Co., Smithsonian’s previous shows include The Dream Cafe and, not surprisingly, an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. On May 19, she’ll be leading a 90-minute workshop called “Puppetry Using Found Objects,” which should allow participants to discover the romantic lives of the everyday objects in their own homes.

The Romantic Life of Everyday Objects plays May 18-20 at the Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St., with performances at 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. and 5 p.m. Sun. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for members, students and senior citizens. 404-873-3391. www.puppet.org ??