If you've never seen Andrew Lloyd Webbers "Phantom of the Opera", here's the inspiration.
In a show chock full of stunning costumes, this one was a real 'stand-out' moment and made a lasting impression on me.
The Phantom disguises himself as the Masque of the RED DEATH.
I have always wanted to build a replica of that costume.
So it seemed fitting that the Ghost in my show, 'Mr Skelly-Wellington' should likewise don a disguise!
Fortunately many years ago I had begun several Duplicates of my Ghost Puppet.
Back then I had planned a complex routine needing lots of identical faces
The costume was always going to be an elaborate build.
I was prepared for that.
But I wasn't prepared for how complex the internal workings were going to have to be to support the long arms and heavy Opera manuscript prop.
When the costume covers the mechanism, the audience have no idea that the puppet is sitting so high on my fingers.
Sometimes it takes a lot of planning and complexity underneath, to make something look straightforward and simple.
He really turned out so much better than I could have dared hope.
He was only onstage in the show for about 45 seconds.
But I don't regret the many many days it took to build him,
This was very much a vanity project.
And he is one of a very few puppets that I have on display at home.
