In a subterranean metro station serving as a bomb shelter in eastern Ukraine, two flamboyant puppeteers act out a tabletop fairytale for a gaggle of spellbound children, IgbereTV reports
With a cast of caricature dolls including a mustachioed king and a herd of pigs, Oleksandra Shlykova and Anton Andriushchenko tell the story of how “Princesses are different”, entrancing the kids and their parents.
They are also distracting them from the near constant bombardments raining down on the city of Kharkiv above them, as Russia escalates its offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Using a mobile phone sound system the pair elicit giggles and gasps from their audience perched on steps lined with cardboard — an auditorium improvised to prevent the cold and damp seeping into their bones.
“A live performance is always an emotion that is here and now,” said 47 year-old Shlykova after concluding the show with a flourished bow and inviting the children to play with the puppets.
“We exchange emotions and it lifts our spirits. It’s hard to describe it, you have to feel it.”
