If you have not seen the Fratello Marionettes, you are missing out! While on a trip to the Bay Area, I had the opportunity to see one of their shows at a local library. And what a treat it was. Upon arrival, I was first struck by the professional staging that was set up. Most marionette shows I have seen have been performed at floor level so having a raised stage with curtains made it feel all the more special. As families arrived and took their seats, there was an air of excitement in the room. Several parents around us said they bring their kids to see the Fratello Marionettes every time they perform in the area. And I can see why. Once the show began, the kids were mesmerized. The show was pre-recorded and flowed beautifully from start to finish. The puppets themselves were beautifully made and visible all the way to the back of the room. The script was well written and kept both children and adults enrapt. Following the show, the puppeteers came out and answered questions before packing up their equipment. It seems as if marionettes are a lost art these days, especially on the west coast. So it makes me happy to see the art form is alive and well in the Bay Area thanks to the incredible Fratello Marionettes. Kudos!! read more

My vintage Italian marionette needed restringing and repair. Fratello Marionettes showed up on top of the list, and I contacted him. Kevin is friendly, professional, and passionate about his craft. After I read about him, I realized my marionette was in good hands. The work was fast and reasonably priced. Highly recommended. read more

The Fratello Marionettes - Before - Performing Arts Near Me - Pinole, California

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I can't say enough good things about Kevin and his incredible work. I sent him three Pelham marionettes that my parents had brought back to me from London in the 1970's--they were tangled, worn, and in desperate need of attention. Kevin cleaned and restrung them and did a great job. You can tell he is truly passionate about his work. If you're looking for someone who knows marionettes inside and out, Kevin is the person to go to. He is also a great communicator. Highly recommended! read more

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We caught a 30-minute showing of The Vaudeville Follies at the Italian Family Festa taking place in History Park SJ this past weekend. Amazing puppets and puppeteers, putting on a fun-loving performance with a variety of acts and characters including a ballerina chicken, a shaggy red puppy, an auguste clown, a knife thrower, and an opera singer marionette (though there are actually no vocals in this show, just music and sound effects playing through the speakers near the stage). More than just a fun production for kids, it was a great showcase of artistry and talent for adults to enjoy too. According to the pamphlets given out at the event, the company is located in Danville (different from what you may see on their website), but they travel to different cities bringing joy and lighthearted entertainment to kids and families all over. read more

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OHMYGOSH I needed to repair my Marienette that I have had for 60 years & Kevin/Fratello Marionette's reached out and fixed Bengo pronto. So fast & he is beautiful like new. Thank you Kevin, very much. read more

The Fratello Marionettes - Bengo - Performing Arts Near Me - Pinole, California

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Booking Kevin for my family-friendly Halloween party was the best decision I ever made. The kiddos loved the performance. Kevin was timely, professional, and great with a young audience. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in his services. read more

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Professional-- Expert Craftsmanship. Excellent Communication Skills & Kind. What more can you ask for in 2024. Or at any time. I sent a childhood gift which has great sentimental value. Need I say, parting with Charley the Poodle was nerve-wracking. He came back looking exactly like I remember unboxing him in 1969. Do not hesitate to entrust your family heirlooms, and precious collectibles to Kevin. read more

The Fratello Marionettes - Original Vintage Poodle Marionette made in England - Performing Arts Near Me - Pinole, California

We hired Fratello Marionettes for my business' 10th Anniversary Party. The crew was communicative before the event and arrived on time. They even dealt well with the windy conditions of the day. Their performance added so much joy to our event, and so many kiddos and adults had huge smiles on their faces the whole time. People came up after to me to thank us for hiring the Fratello Marionettes and that they've never seen anything like it before. I found out about them as I'm a huge fan of Bob Baker Marionettes in LA, and I learned that the Fratello folx were a part of them back in the day. Highly recommend them for any of your events! Also, their marionettes are well crafted and classic. read more

The Fratello Marionettes - Puppets, marionettes - Performing Arts Near Me - Pinole, California

Pinocchio puppet needed restringing and repair. Amazing work at fair and reasonable prices; done very quickly. Kevin is responsive, professional and communicates extremely well. read more

I have a couple of marionettes I picked up in Mexico as a kid around 1975. The strings were fraying, and one had fallen, snapped a string, and had gotten immensely tangled. They have a lot of sentimental value so I sent them to Kevin. He restrung them so they are now good for another 30 years. I didn't ask for any service other than restringing but I am sure he could touch them up nicely given how nice the restringing looks. A nice fresh black vs a fraying gray. read more

The Fratello Marionettes - Performing Arts Near Me - Pinole, California

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Kevin is amazing. He fully restored our very old marionette with new strings and reinforced head. We are so happy to have it back hanging on our living room wall. read more

Kevin is the best. He performed at my daughter's fourth birthday party, and I could not believe how he was able to hold the attention of 50 sugar-filled 1-4-years-olds for the duration of the show. He was on time, set up quickly with no assistance, and was easy to work with and responsive. He even brought a small gift for the birthday girl and followed up with a kind letter. Both parents and kids loved the show and his puppets were beautiful. My second daughter is already talking about how Kevin will be back for her birthday party! Thank you Kevin, for making my daughter feel so special! read more

I'd had a need for marionette repair for some time, and finally decided to take care of it. The original manufacturer of my puppets is often overloaded with work, so I looked elsewhere and found the Fratello Marionettes. Kevin is unbeatable in terms of response time and reliability. I had my first job back to me in record time, and I am very pleased with the workmanship! I would not hesitate to recommend Kevin for your repair and restoration needs. He has the experience and expertise, and can also offer suggestions when needed. I will definitely be sending him more work in the future. read more

I hired Kevin and his marionettes for a "Take Your Kids To Work" party at our office and all the kids loved the show. I even got feedback from some parents that their kids had been so engaged (or rather engrossed) with the show that they sat completely still for the entire duration of the 30 minute show. In a world where kids seem to be bombarded with digital gadgets, I was personally very happy to see this traditional approach to storytelling still win over so many kids. Kevin was very easy to work with and what I appreciated about him most was his responsiveness. read more

We sent a photo of a puppet which my wife had from her childhood in the 1950s. It needed to be restrung, etc. Kevin responded immediately while out of town. He knew the maker and said he could help. Upon arrival at his facility, Kevine turned the job around in a day and reshipped her to us. She (Sonja Henie puppet) will be with us at Thanksgiving for our grandchildren to enjoy! My wife is thrilled and we are very appreciative of Kevin's timeliness and quality of work. Her picture is attached. G&J Wright, NY read more

The Fratello Marionettes - Performing Arts Near Me - Pinole, California

I have an original PELHAM, Disjointing Skeleton Marionette, which my mom bought for me in the 1960's at FAO Schwartz Toy Store (now long gone). I just had him restrung back to his former self a year or two ago by a puppeteer. He had long since lost all his strings and has been held together by white pipe cleaners for last 35 years. I recently dropped him, completely knotting his strings! UGH!!! He was angled and tangled in his own strings, so I tried to untangle him myself and made it so much worse. I would have done better solving the Rubik's Cube! Then I was lucky enough to find Kevin of FRATELLO MARIONETTES! A little background for you... I was a real "monster kid" and loved all the old horror films. I still do. It was only logical the I should give new skeleton friend a name, so... I named him "Harry Rot" and I've referred to him as HARRY ever since over these last fifty or so years. Obviously "Harry" has a great deal of sentimental value for me. I've always had him on display anywhere I've ever lived. True. Kevin, completely understood Harry's importance to me and was a kind and very pleasant to deal with. He said... "Poor skeleton! I can certainly help you out with his restoration services, which includes return shipping. I am quite good at untangling marionette strings, which I prefer rather than replacing his intact strings. If I can't get him untangled, I will restring with fresh black string. Just pack him well and send him to me." Well, needless to say he did a beautiful job in bringing my old friend back to life (see photos). He untangled him, only replacing one or two strings and touched up his face paint as well, as much of it had worn off since I was a little boy. Kevin had him back in no time. The turn around time was lightening fast. I was really impressed at Kevin's professionalism, skill and immediacy of Harry's expeditious return home. I was really looking forward to having Harry back and am thankful to have found Kevin who is an artisan in his craft in the tradition of the true craftsman of old. I cannot recommend him enough for any restoration needed on your antique, collectible or new marionettes. He is magnificent professional and really great guy as well. You just can't find that kind of service today. What a combo! Thanks again, Kevin. Most sincerely, Douglas Rowan read more

The Fratello Marionettes - Performing Arts Near Me - Pinole, California

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Kevin did an amazing job of repairing my puppet, with great turnaround times and spectacular communication. 10/10 service! Would definitely hire again for future repairs and marionette needs. read more

I have a marionette I bought in Thailand. On the move from New York City to Portland, Oregon, the strings of the marionette got all discombobulated. I found Fratello Marionettes online and they were a joy to work with. Kevin had very clear instructions on what to do to get the marionette to him. The turnaround time was about a week from the time I sent the marionette to the time it was returned. Kevin did a great job repairing the marionette. It was super easy to communicate with Kevin via email and he sent me photos of the marionette after he repaired it. I strongly and highly recommend Fratello Marionettes if you need some repairs on your puppets and/or marionettes. read more

Kevin is pleasant, knowledgeable and is an artist. He brought my Big Bad Wolf back to life. It had been hanging in a storage closet for decades; covered with dust and dulled with age. Kevin cleaned the fabrics and revitalized the surfaces. He looks beautiful! BBW hangs in the TV room now and delights me each time I see him. read more

As the owner of Our Taste Design (www.ourtastedesign.com) I sell authentic international folk art. Being that many of the pieces I deal with are antique; some need restoration to bring them back to their original state. I had two antique Balinese masks that needed repair, conducted some research and reached out to Kevin. He was responsive, very friendly and had an 'expert eye' for exactly what needed to be done. The masks look amazing, I would highly recommend him, and have reached out for another project. read more

Kevin Menegus completed a consummate restoration of the Puss'n Boots marionette I purchased in France 22 years ago. The result reflects the skill and love he brings to his vocation. read more

My story is a very involved and a long one, but I will try and make it short. I inherited from my best girlfriend two marionettes which looked to be very old. They were not in that good of shape but they were very precious to her. Once I had them, I wanted to bring them back to life and I had read about Kevin and his restoration of Marionettes. I sent both of the Marionettes to Kevin very excited to see what he could do with them. In a very quick time he had restored them and was sending them back to me. They got misplaced with FedEx for quite some time and I was very afraid that they were lost forever. Kevin worked very hard trying to recover these Marionettes. They arrived today and the work that Kevin had done to the Marionettes is nothing short of AMAZING! My friend, who left these to me, would be so extremely happy to see the Marionettes looking so fantastic! Kevin is a true artisan and nothing short of a genius! read more

Kevin did great work bringing an early 1900's family heirloom marionette back to life for me that had become so entangled that I couldn't make any sense of it. Kevin was very communicative and extremely helpful throughout the entire process which took far less time than I ever expected. I would happily work with him again in the future. read more

I was extremely pleased with Kevin's work on my sons Micky Mouse marionette that I kept since the 70's it was a tangled and dirty mess and now Micky looks fantastic. I found Kevin by chance and boy was I LUCKY I would recommend Kevin and his work to every one. Kevin also communicated at each step of the process. You never had to guess what was happening. Kevin is the best. Mary read more

We saw their show at the Saratoga library and it was great. They used a variety of puppets they made themselves and performed wonderfully. My little one was mesmerized for a full 30 min. But 30 min is a bit short. They have shows lasting up to 45 min (as I saw in their flyer) but I can imagine kids loving a show that lasts a little longer. Ah well I loved the penguins and my kids were happy. read more

The Fratello Marionettes - Part of their programs. - Performing Arts Near Me - Pinole, California

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Kevin did an amazing job on my marionette pig. I bought this pig in Paris in 2000 and totally fell in love with his look and quality. It was created by an artist who truly loves puppetry. Over the past 21 years the inside of the farm of the pig started to disintegrate and I thought it was a lost cause. I had searched a few times for somebody to repair it and never found anyone. Just recently I happen to do a secondary search and there was Kevin. He brought this Marinette back to life. And also back into our lives. He took the puppet apart from top to bottom and refreshed it. It looks like a brand new Marinette. I highly recommend him he was completely honest and not expensive in anyway and really truly cared for something that was very dear to me. If you have the need he is your guy. read more

The Fratello Marionettes - Performing Arts Near Me - Pinole, California

So realistic and professional Kevin is always kind and professional with all the excited kids Highly recommend read more

Had the pleasure of watching The Fratello Marrionette performance over the weekend at a friend's party. Both my children loved it. They were even able to see the puppets up close afterwards. Kevin was very kind and professional. His show is great for any children's party. A classic act . I hope to be able to see it again. read more

I had a Pelham horse puppet from the 60s that was in sad shape. I had all the parts but the strings had rotted away. Fratello did a FANTASTIC job of repairing it. Highly recommend. read more

I found Kevin on line - sent my marionette (bought in Paris in 1979) for refurbing and string replacement and the transaction went without a hitch. I sent her from the east coast to the west coast - she was received - Kevin perfected her and she was returned in her original state. I am pleased, not only because he was so efficient - but the workmanship was impeccable! I highly recommend Kevin for your detailed marionette repair! Thanks Kevin... Felda read more

kevin restrung my Pelham marionette with great precision. I found him to be very informed and courteous. The service was reasonably priced and expeditious. read more

Pleasant, timely interactions, a can-do attitude, and a reasonable price to repair/restring an heirloom marionette in a shadow box. Shipping from FL to CA was a bit pricey but that was not Kevin's fault. Highly recommend his very professional niche repair service. I bet his shows are great too! read more

The Fratello Marionettes delighted 86 people today at West Valley Branch Library in San Jose. #sjpl #RightToLibrary Except for oohs and awws and enthusiastic clapping, the children were quiet with enchanted little faces. Kevin and Samantha puts on a lovely show. Fratello Marionettes always put a smile on my face and today's show entitled The North Pole Review was no exception. I highly recommend this group. From the ease of planning multiple shows for our library to the streamlined set up and amazingly clever shows, Fratello Marionettes shine! read more

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I had purchased a marionette in Prague over 20 years ago and it had fallen into quite of state of disrepair, to the extent that I considered throwing it away. But the memories were still there so I figured I would just go online and give it one more shot. And am I glad I did. It came back beautifully restrung and he managed to repair the spectacles and even give it new "hair." So I am more than satisfied. Be sure you pack your puppet carefully! And in terms of a price quote I recommend that you sent a photo so he can judge the labor required. Once again, thanks Kevin! read more

The Fratello Marionettes deserve more than 5 stars! My boys and I have enjoyed numerous shows over the years at local libraries around the East Bay including our most recent viewing of Mother Goose stories. Each puppet, costume and set is handcrafted with immaculate detail. The thematic development and musical selections that accompany each scene show the depth of thought placed into every second of each show. Be sure to check your local library and symphony calendar for future performances or plan to hire them for a private event if you just can't wait! read more

A very good program for libraries and schools. The kids were mesmerized by the puppets and music. I particularly enjoyed the Carnival of Animals, but the North Pole Review is always fun for the holidays. Kevin, the director, responded promptly to my emails and he's very flexible when it comes to scheduling. I will definitely book them again! read more

We absolutely love the Fratello Marionettes at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. The shows are so well done, Kevin is very easy to work with, and he really takes the time afterwards to talk to the kids in the audience and answer questions. The marionettes are so well crafted, and really come to life during the show. We've had them at our library district for quite a number of years now. The kids and parents will actually go to several branches just to see them. We look forward to hosting them in 2018, too! read more

The Fratello Marionettes are simply amazing, fun and professional. We've had them perform at our school several years now and we always enjoy having them at Shaffer School. They are punctual, patient and have outstanding marionettes. They are very easy to get a hold of and return e-mails promptly. The faces of the students watching their show is priceless. I would recommend them to any school. read more

We have had the Fratello Marionettes at the Crockett Library the last three years, and they are absolutely wonderful! They performed Peter and the Wolf this last October which was a huge hit. Kevin is easy to work with and the performances are a pleasure to watch. They are one of the Bay Area's best performers, and we look forward to having them back next year! read more

The Fratello Marionettes just kicked off the summer reading program at the Santa Cruz Public Libraries with 9 performances that had an average attendance of 100 and some performances drew considerably more than that. Kevin and Fred present beautifully crafted shows with elegant marionettes that they create themselves. People of all ages are delighted with the plays, and the duo is endlessly patient with the inevitable questions afterward. We are already asking to be on the 2014 schedule. We recommend the Fratello Marionettes with the highest praise. read more