Friend of a Friend is a column for After Dark by Tawk of New Yawk, featuring interesting people we know (and people they know). FOAF is where artists, industry types, and under-the-radar personalities share what they’re working on, what they’ve lived through, and what’s actually going on behind the scenes.
A one-man show starring grapes and wine corks? Planet of the Grapes might be one of the most inventive pieces of theater you'll see this year. I caught up with Peter Michael Marino, the producer, performer, director, writer, and educator behind Planet of the Grapes, whose work also includes creating educational content for the Kennedy Center and Washington National Opera, to talk toy theater, artistic risk, and why audiences can't stop falling for tiny grapes.
STEPHANIE: I completely nerded out learning about toy theater. It was an entire piece of theater history I knew absolutely nothing about. What first drew you to toy theater during the pandemic, and what does it offer that feels different from a more traditional theater-making experience?
PETER: Honestly, I didn’t know much about toy theater when I started creating Planet of the Grapes during lockdown. I remember calling my director, Michole Biancosino, from Rockaway Beach (since we were locked down), where I was sketching out show and script ideas, and saying, “I think what we are doing here is called toy theater, which started in the Victorian era. So, I’m gonna keep doing that cuz it sounds fancy.”
I found it interesting that 19th-century people were performing these little cardboard shows in their homes for their friends and family, when essentially that’s what we were doing with the live digital versions of the show. It was important for us to make it feel like an actual theater experience since people weren’t leaving their homes, so we added things like the buzz of an audience before the show, a countdown bell for when the show was going to start, a pre-show announcement, and even an intermission.
This time around, for the onstage version of the show, I spent two weeks at the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library deep-diving into everything toy theater, and one of my favorite things was learning that, more often than not, the person performing the show in a toy theater format was actually doing things off the stage and involving the audience. That has become the key for this live version of the show. I dare call it immersive or interactive, but that’s what’s happening. But not in an annoying way.
STEPHANIE: Do you think the history and nature of toy theater naturally lends itself to more experimentation, play, and creative freedom?
PETER: 100%! Puppetry is all about discovery, curiosity, and play. Toy theater was originally created for kids to put on a show and evolved into an “adult” art form, with performers touring and playing wealthy estates. This format allows us to be free to jump from the cutting-board stage to the space around the performing area to the audience space, but more importantly, we are free to play. To be silly. To be uber-creative. To take liberties with the storytelling.
Whenever we are stuck with a question like, “How do we make an earthquake happen on this little stage?” we answer it with, “What would an eight-year-old do?” and that’s almost always the solution for any of our creative problems.
Luckily, I think like an eight-year-old.
STEPHANIE: I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’ve been really struck by Planet of the Grapes ever since you introduced me to it. It feels inventive, cozy, and genuinely fun. At a moment when so much theater can feel intensely serious, or even a little desperate for importance, this production feels effortlessly cool. What kind of atmosphere or feeling were you hoping to create with the show?
PETER: We aim to create an atmosphere of creativity, originality, and fun. The original electronic score by Michael Harren helps create the moody atmosphere, from outer space to a wild hunt scene to a love scene. It’s a moody show. We don’t take it all too seriously, even though there are very serious issues in the show.
I tend to see shows that are funny, or at least uplifting, and that’s what I create. I always have a “deep moment” in my work, but for the most part I want folks to have a good time at my shows. It’s also pretty “artsy,” so engaging folks with art is so important at this time, when AI, Netflix, and phone screens are taking over our brains.
STEPHANIE: I’m obsessed with the tiny details of this production. Even the promo images are so visually striking they make you stop scrolling and actually look closely. The whole world of the play feels incredibly intentional and handcrafted. Are you naturally drawn to intricate, detail-oriented work? What attracts you to that level of care and specificity?
PETER: Ha! As I struggled to glue a tiny pink eyelid onto the Zira grape yesterday, I wondered why the hell I was doing this. I’m not good with my hands or fingers. I have little patience. And my eyesight stinks. So, it’s strange that I find myself creating something that doesn’t easily align with my skills. Always up for a challenge, I guess.
The digital version had very detailed settings since the camera was so close, and it had fairly simple character designs. But for the live version, it’s the opposite. The settings are simpler, so they help focus the attention on the small characters (grapes and corks). And the characters are more detailed.
The digital ones had black Sharpie dots for eyes. These characters have googly eyes, eyelids, and even clothing touches. It’s not easy to create 20+ tiny grape characters that function in different ways in different scenes, but I have to admit, it’s actually a very Zen process!
STEPHANIE: Okay, important question: Why grapes? And why corks? I’m delighted by all of it.
PETER: I was in an improv company called Theatresports New York back in the ‘90s. One of the challenges was called “Planet of the Grapes,” where you had to do a scene with grapes jammed between your lips and teeth. I loved the name and the game.
I was also obsessed with the ‘68 film when I was a kid and remained obsessed into my adulthood. So, naturally, it made sense to create a theater show called Planet of the Grapes with GRAPES in it.
Corks made sense for the human characters because the scale worked with the grapes, and, in essence, the corks keep the grapes down, just like a bottle of wine and just like the characters in the show.
Best to not think too much about it. Seriously.
STEPHANIE: You’ve mentioned that the themes of the show, and of Planet of the Apes more broadly, feel especially resonant right now. Can you talk more about what feels timely or relevant about this story today?
PETER: The original ‘63 book and ‘68 film were also relevant when they were released.
There’s a line, “How did this upside-down world even get started?” which I think resonates with all of us nowadays, when it does indeed feel like everything is upside down.
The themes of human arrogance, planetary concerns, social hierarchy, animal rights, science vs. religion, and the threat of nuclear destruction are all so NOW. It’s a testament to the prescience of Pierre Boulle and Rod Serling (the original writer of the screenplay).
I’m not a “political artist,” but I feel like this show allows me to express my feelings about the failing human condition without hitting the audience over the head.
STEPHANIE: The project originally began virtually. What was the early reception like, and what have been the biggest joys and challenges of translating something so miniature and intimate onto a live stage? Also... practical question: How does everyone actually see everything?
PETER: We were lucky to have a show that worked for a digital, live platform. There wasn’t much going on online at the time other than actors doing Zoom readings, which always felt very stagnant. We worked hard on it for months, and we had fun with it.
One of the tickets included getting popcorn, candy, and an interactive map sent to you before the performance. And we had talkbacks after the show because people were feeling isolated and lonely, which is also a theme in the show that resonates with me. The world is so huge, it’s easy to feel small.
We’ve had to redesign 90% of the show to work on a larger stage. We’ve even had to add spaces in the vocal tracks to allow for laughs. And much of the action happens within the audience. Plus, there’s an additional performer who adds flavor and whimsy to the show, in addition to helping us get from scene to scene. It’s nice to have a scene partner after many years of solo shows.
This will be the first time doing the show with a live audience, and the first time that people will be experiencing the show in a theater, surrounded by people they don’t know. Very different than watching it online from the couch.
As far as everyone actually seeing everything, we’ve addressed that. I don’t want to give too much away, but folks should know that they will be able to completely see the show and experience it, even from the back row.
Of course, we’re doing the show in small venues and limiting the size of the audience for sightlines. As someone who has sat in the very last row of an opera house many times, I can always tell who’s speaking and what’s happening onstage, even when they’re singing in a foreign language. Our characters are bigger than that. Hey, you can bring opera glasses if you want, but I don’t think you’ll need them.
STEPHANIE: How much thought goes into the costuming and physical design of each grape? They all somehow feel like distinct personalities.
PETER: Thanks so much. We want them to feel distinct. It’s a ton of experimentation and trial and error. Every time a new setting is designed, I have to bring it into a large room and step back to make sure that the characters are “popping.”
I actually went to college for theatre design, so this kind of challenge is fun for me. But I do think an awful lot about which shade of green is just right for Cornelius, and which size red rubber grape is perfect for Dr. Zaius.
All of the grapes sit upon repurposed toothpaste caps and buttons to give them some height, but I thought long and hard about which direction the caps go and which colors align with each character.
I added “hair” to the cork astronaut characters a few weeks ago, and it was one of those “why didn’t I do this before?” moments.
STEPHANIE: I’ve been staring at these grapes long enough that they genuinely feel sentient to me now. Colonel Taylor, especially, looks like they’ve seen some things and objectively might be the hottest grape in the cast. Do you each have favorite grapes? Is there backstage grape drama? Alliances? Rivalries? I need the tea.
PETER: Astronaut Taylor is the lead... and he’s a mess. He’s literally lost in space. So we wanted him to look that way with his larger googly eyes, as opposed to how Heston looked in the film, which was sweaty/sexy. He’s almost more of a threat in this version.
My favorite grape is Lucius, the young upstart. The voice of a generation. Lucius is proudly “non-varietal” and lets everyone know it every chance they get. Lucius is my mouthpiece for uber-woke culture, and I adore them for it.
That’s all the tea I can spill. These characters are like my kids!
STEPHANIE: What are people’s first reactions when you explain the premise of the show to them?
PETER: “That sounds amazing!”
And they are correct. It’s pretty amazing.
STEPHANIE: More broadly, what encourages you to take creative risks and pursue projects that genuinely excite or call to you, even when they might sound unconventional on paper?
PETER: I don’t think I will ever create anything that would be considered “commercial.” Trust me, I would like to! But it’s not how I think.
My shows run the gamut. My first solo show, Desperately Seeking the Exit, was about my real-life experience writing the Blondie musical Desperately Seeking Susan, which bombed on the West End in 2007 but was a huge hit in Tokyo in 2009.
Then I created a talk show spoof called Late with Lance, where an untalented chorus boy sets out to interview Hugh Jackman and Liza Minnelli, only to use members of the audience when the stars don’t show up. This was the beginning of my exploration of using the audience in my work.
Next came Show Up, which spoofed solo-show tropes. I gathered bad life experiences from the audience and improvised a fake solo show about a fake character’s life. It also touched upon social anxiety and depression. FUN!
This led to Show Up, Kids! (which isn’t about trauma), where the kids help create a show on the spot. It’s been running for eight years, so I suppose it is kinda commercial?
I have no idea where ...Grapes will take us, and that’s part of the fun. I’m excited to see how the show grows and changes during its month-long run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This will be my eighth time producing there, and I honestly don’t think my work would be as creative if I hadn’t experienced the largest arts festival in the world in 2012.
Artists at that festival, in particular, inspire me. Their work sorta gives me permission to break the mold, honor my instincts, and take chances. EdFringe has over 3,500 shows to be inspired by, and I hope Planet of the Grapes does that for others.
To learn more about Planet of the Grapes CLICK HERE
All Photo Credit: Mikiodo
❤️🍇❤️🍇❤️ really enjoyed tawking with you. XO