Closure of iconic puppet theatre felt ‘like daddy had just died all over again’
Paula Lambert, the voice of Bosco, has said that hearing of the closure of the Lambert Puppet Theatre, the almost five-decades-old home of such beloved children’s characters as Bosco, Judge and Mr Crow, has made her feel her father had died all over again.
The Lambert Puppet Theatre was founded in 1972 by the puppeteer Eugene Lambert, with his wife Mai.
The Co Dublin theatre’s closure and planned sale had been first reported on Tuesday by the Irish Examiner and was confirmed yesterday by its director, Ms Lambert’s brother Liam.
“This has been a very emotional day,” Paula told the Irish Examiner. “Bosco put out a tweet saying ‘Puppets’ hearts can break’. Temple Street Children’s Hospital replied with a virtual hug, and that really made me cry.
“The puppet theatre was my parents Eugene and Mai’s dream, and they fulfilled it, but it’s very sad to see it go. I don’t think it will ever happen again. I don’t think Ireland will ever again have a national puppet theatre.
“I really felt today that my daddy had just died all over again.”
Eugene, a regular fixture on RTÉ since the early 1960s, devised and produced the puppet series Murphy agus a Chairde, and he co-created and co-starred in the iconic TV show Wanderly Wagon, which ran from 1967 to 1982.
The theatre’s closure was confirmed yesterday by its director Liam Lambert. Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Lambert said the decision to sell the premises was taken as a result of financial pressures.
Liam Lambert told RTÉ that while the theatre premises will be sold, it is his hope the business will continue as a touring theatre troupe.
President Michael D Higgins praised the Lambert family for their decades-long contribution to Irish life.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner yesterday, he said: “I was disappointed to hear the news of the closure of the Lambert Puppet Theatre and Museum, which for over four decades has brought joy and entertainment to countless children — and to all those of us who are young at heart.”
He added: “The characters that the Lambert Puppet Theatre introduced us to were not only amusing but also very encouraging to their audiences, helping them explore and query the world around them as to the nature of relationships, perseverance and ethics.”
President Higgins noted that although the Lambert Puppet Theatre is closing, the work of the family in the art of puppetry continues.
Bosco tweeted yesterday: “I’m sad but it’s alright to be sad when something sad has happened”.
