Simply surprising that more people don’t know about Pablo Cano and his Cricket Theater, 2485 SW 5th street, in Miami, which starts its 15th year in October.  It’s one of those special entertainments that we can lay claim to, unique in South Florida, and arguably one of the best marionette theaters in the country. But, maybe you’re thinking, it’s for children. Yes, but also for adults who can get in touch with their inner child – sense of whimsy, surprise, revelation, and put a smile on our face.

The 20 seat theater with seats indoors and outdoors in Little Havana is a series of skits, sometimes accompanied by live music. There’s a half hour reception before the 45 minute show with coffee, cake and prosecco. And there’s no charge; he just asks for a donation at everyone’s discretion.

The marionnetes are all made of recycled or discarded materials found by Cano, everything from thrift store finds to urban trash and even wreckage from car crashes. Think potato masher that’s a microphone,  Gas Cans, silver cigarette paper, trash cans, plastic hubcaps, broken costume jewelry,  and ornate cushions all transformed and repurposed into imaginative marionette characters.

Cano envisions and creates all of the marionettes himself. His Sister Isabel Hernandez does all the sewing for the costumes. He even has what he calls the “ICU”, the intensive care unit where damaged marionettes are treated.

He makes the lovely ceramic faces and feet of the puppets in a special area with kiln adjacent to the theater. He also makes beautiful vases and small boxes for sale that reminded me of the style of Picasso ranging in price from $50 to $900. They’re also sold at the Coral Gables Art Museum shop and NSU Museum in Fort Lauderdale.

And then there’s the theater itself, jam packed with Cano’s works across media – from “framed” cake box ink drawings  to a wooden armoire with white panels on which he painted ink drawings of the muses of painting, sculpture, music and literature.

The performance is 45 minutes.  Shows are held the last Saturday in the month at 8 p.m. The next one is October 25, a special edition for Halloween.  For more information on Pablo Cano Cricket Theater and to make a reservation e mail pdcano@bellsouth.net.

Note: The short video featured is Cano’s marionette of Fred Astaire singing and tap dancing to “Putin On The Ritz”.Pablo Cano’s Musical Marionettes with opera singer Maria Elena Vallejo is the title of the former show.