[SML] Disappearing food

[jdunfee12 at yahoo.com]

I know of a few techniques, but am not that familiar with the play.  Here is some brain-storming...

1) I saw a brief promo clip of the play, and see that there is a cake that may be a spring form.  Sort of like those collapsible laundry catchers..  A cake shape is a very simple thing to sew from fabric, and include the wire inside the hem. But, obviously it needs to collapse and stay collapsed.  Perhaps there is a wood disk at the top of the cake, with velcro on the disk and plate, to keep it collapsed once it is pressed down.  So, eating the cake involves simply pressing the platter onto the face of the costume.  As a child, my go-to source for springs and wire was always my sister's curlers.  Do they still make any that way? But, any well equipped hardware store will have a large variety of springs to choose from. And you can even roll your own from spring wire.

2) Cookie Monster is known for just being a very messy eater, and the food basically just scatters everywhere.
 3) Glue the food to the plate.  Then, as it is being devowered, it ends up being turned bottom towards the audience, so the food can't be seen.  Then, it simply is carried off stage in that orientation.
4) Sew a large pocket sewn into the back edge of the table cloth. The edge needs to somehow stay open a generous amount, perhaps by a wire in the hem. The plate is set before the Tiger, who lowers his head, and scoops the food towards his mouth.  But, in reality, he is scooping the food off the edge of the table, to fall into that pocket.
5) If the Tiger is to be more anthropormfic, perhaps he can be made to cut and place some pieces in his mouth.  If the food is made from fairly thin foam sheets, it will compress easily.  The bite of food is pre-cut.. By holding the fork with his middle-to-pinkie fingers alone, he will have a thumb and index finger to grab the piece of food. Then, he can place it in his mouth, and it will appear he has it on the fork.  He removes his hand and fork, leaving the food in his costume mouth. He then takes his napkin, and while appearing to wipe his mouth, actually grabs the food. That is the part I am not certain about, since it will be important to grab it without looking like it is being grabbed.  If his hands were not bulky, he might simply cover  one hand with the napkin, and use that action to cover the grabbing of the food from the costume mouth.
Of course, multiple techniques can be used. E.g. use #5 as phase one. Then, the host goes to remove the platter, but the tiger, after finding the food very good, goes to apparently lick the rest of the food off of the platter, turning the bottom to face downstage. Then version #3 is how it is finished.
-Joe
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