Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

My Precious

With a two-part silver-screen version of The Hobbit by director Guillermo del Toro in the works, rumored for release in late 2011 and 2012, Tolkien devotees may want to brush up on their “Halfling” history — and they can do it by sitting down for Théâtre Sans Fil’s stage version. It’s got a good twist: The Québec troupe pulls off the all-ages adventure story with puppets ... giant ones. Setting the scene for the much darker The Lord of the Rings, this hobbit fable explains how Bilbo acquired the magic ring on a quest to retrieve a dragon’s treasure hoard. Founded in 1971, the “Theater Without Strings” pluck the characters off the page in a thrilling performance packed with black-light illusions, lasers and a 25-foot-long mythical monster. Enough said.