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92. Mermaid marionette, The Lanchester Marionette’s Underwater Ballet (1939)

Artist / Maker: Waldo Lanchester
Object Details:

The Lanchester Marionettes’ Underwater Ballet, performed to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, told the story of a mermaid whose tail becomes trapped in the jaws of a giant clam. A succession of underwater creatures—including a goblin, a swordfish and a seahorse—attempt to free her, but each effort fails.

A large crab eventually enters and performs a tango, causing the clam to laugh and release the mermaid. The ballet ends with a vivid final image: the swordfish sweeping across the stage with the goblin riding on his back.

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