Lilypad Puppet Theatre produces an annual Crankie Cabaret in the Fall. We bring together artists, puppeteers, storytellers & musicians for this fabulous weekend variety show.
The next Crankie Cabaret will be at The Cherry (102 Cherry Street, Ithaca) on:
Fri Nov 14, 7:30pm, Sat Nov 15, 7:30pm & Sun Nov 16, 3pm 2025
***Buy your ticket as a Supporter*** and get a chance to win a free one night stay at the fabulous Argos Inn! Argos Inn is a beautifully restored, LEED certified, historic mansion in downtown Ithaca. It houses thirteen boutique hotel rooms and two unique craft cocktails bars. (Note: The one night stay is for Sunday – Thursday nights only.) Valued at $200+ The Argos Inn offers a touch of the exotic, that magical feeling of being in a far off place with all the comforts of home.
“A delightful, interesting, entertaining and life affirming performance. Loved every minute of it.” – Hilby the German Juggling Boy on the Crankie Cabaret.
2025 PERFORMERS (FOR BIOS CLICK HERE):
A Vietnamese Folk Tale by Anne Miller
Heaven on Earth by izaq charp and Marina Gershon.
The world, oh the world, is all going to hell.
The news is quite rotten and so is the smell.
In the streets, in the air, it stinks like dead rat.
It reeks like a barrel of old bacon fat.
But as bad as it seems, this malodorous haze,
for some that foul funk smells like five-star buffets.
So let us attempt, let’s just give it a try,
to see this vile world through the eyes of a fly…
Mike Chen with Mall of Death
Julie Glanville
SingTrece & Sir Kenneth McLaurin
Julian Plum & Mads Ziomek
Sober and Boozy Bar to benefit Lilypad by Melissa of Open Spaces
You can get a fancy drink at the show: POP UP BARS with Open Spaces. (They donate the proceeds to the puppet theatre – amazing!) Each event bar offers a curated selection of by-the-glass ciders and wines, and a custom cocktail with a boozy and sober option. Open Spaces loves community events! They’ll pop up for music, food pairing events, gallery openings, fundraisers, community gatherings, weddings, and parties.
Featuring farmed and foraged fruit sober drinks and well produced booze from small Finger Lakes cideries and wineries. Focusing on Eve’s Cidery, Redbyrd Cider, Usonia Wine and adding a few collaborators as they go.
This program is made possible in part with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and NYS Legislature, administered by the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.
PAST SHOWS: See what we’ve been up to in the last few years.
What is a crankie? “A crankie is an old storytelling art form. It’s a long illustrated scroll that is wound onto two spools. The spools are loaded into a box which has a viewing screen. The scroll is hand-cranked while the story is told. It can be accompanied by a narrative, song or tune.”
