By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Weekend Editor

The Brothers Grimm tale of a poor shoemaker who receives help from magical elves is quite familiar, as is the theme about helping others. Starting this Friday, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta will present “The Shoemaker and the Elves” for a second straight year.

Set in New York City in the 1940s, the story revolves around the shoemaker, Mel Footmeyer, and his wife, Tootsie. The Footmeyers are helped by two out of work elves. The performance is filled with period jazz music, shadow and rod puppets, and a lesson about the magic of giving.

The show was written by Center artists Lorna Howley and Bobby Box and will be performed in the Downstairs Theater. Box, the director of the show, has been the Center for Puppetry Arts' associate producer since 1996 and has been performing in Atlanta since 1984. In addition to producing, he has performed in many family series and adult shows since joining the center.

Howley is the center's resident head puppeteer. She has been with the center for five years and has been involved in many productions. In addition to co-writing “The Shoemaker and The Elves,” she directed “Every Kid Can,” a center touring show about recycling, and the 1997-1998 family series production of “The Velveteen Rabbit.”

The show will run from Nov. 26 to Jan. 3. Showtimes from Nov. 26 to Dec. 11 will be Monday - Friday at 10:30 a.m. and noon and Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. From Dec. 13-17, performances Monday - Friday will be at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.; Dec. 18 through Jan. 3, performances will run Monday - Saturday at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.

There will be no 2 p.m. show Dec. 24 or Dec. 31. There will be no shows Dec. 25 or Jan. 1. Prices for the performances are $8 for adults and $7 for children 2-13. Admission to the center's museum is included in the price of admission.

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