Behind a beautiful, Spanish-style home just a few blocks south of Flagler Street is the Cricket Theater. The Cricket is Pablo Cano’s small performance space (think the size of a large bedroom) filled with props, backdrops and rows and rows of the famous and the infamous—Fred Astaire, Louis Armstrong, Princess Maha, Ukulele Lady, Piano Man and more.

Fred Astaire by Pablo Cano. Photo by Neil de la Flor

Pablo Cano’s marionettes. Photo by Neil de la Flor

Cano constructs these endearing marionettes out of found objects, discarded debris, plastic bottles, as well as materials supplied by friends and family. My favorite is the couple constructed out of a deconstructed tube of Colgate toothpaste, a bottle of mouthwash and a toothbrush. But what brings these characters to life isn’t just the craftsmanship Cano invests in his marionettes. His loose choreography and smart collaborations do the trick.

Pablo Cano with Princess Maha. Photo by Neil de la Flor

“For me, the most anticipated element of the process of creation is the final step – when the contributors (choreographers, dancers, actors, musicians, producers) sprinkle magic stardust over the tenderly assembled detritus and bring the cast of remarkably unique marionettes to life,” writes Cano.

Pablo Cano.

Enter: Maria Elena Vallejo. Vallejo is an experienced singer and musician from Cuba, and she provided the soundtrack and vocals for several of the sets during the performance I saw last Saturday night. With her guitar, she belted out a magnificent rendition of “Besame Mucho” and Bizet’s “L’amour est enfant de bohème” from his opera, Carmen. (Watch Vallejo perform here.)

Pablo Cano.

After the show, artists, kids, parents and neighbors hung out inside this intimate space. We sipped wine, beer and soda. We munched on spinach dip and gorged ourselves on Publix Key lime pie. The audience supplied the snacks. That’s what makes the Cricket Theater such a success—the whole community invests. And the results are astonishing.

The next performance is this Saturday, August 2nd, 2012. Cocktails are at 7:30 p.m. and the performance is at 8 p.m. Advance RSVP required. RSVP at http://www.canoart.com/contact.htm.