GO AHEAD...PULL HIS STRINGS

When Paul Mesner is in his element, he manages to defy gravity while keeping his well-traveled feet planted firmly on the ground.

Can't be done? Never say never when this Kansas City puppeteer has one of his favorite characters and the freedom of expression firmly in hand.

"People are often trapped into thinking in concrete terms," said Mesner, who has made a living at his craft for 17 years. "Puppets allow you to shake yourself loose. They're never bound by gravity or restricted movement the way we are," said the 36-year-old founder of the Paul Mesner Puppets, who operates a mobile stage.

Mesner will ply his trade Jan. 10-11 at various schools in Cape Girardeau and surrounding towns. He will also perform at the University Center Club at noon Jan. 11 and later at 8 p.m.

Although he admits Jim Henson's Muppets had an influence on his work, Mesner points out that his signature can be found on Peter And the Wolf, Anansi The Spider and the irrepressible Georgette. "I think Georgette is really my alter ego," quipped Mesner, who is never above laughing with his audiences as well as at himself.

Mesner was one of five U.S. puppetteers to receive an UNIMA/USA (Union Internationale de le Marionette) Citation of Excellence in Puppetry, an award created by Jim Henson. He received this award, the most prestigious in his field, in 1992 for his performance of Wiley and The Hairy Man.

"I love to play to children because they really don't have to worry about suspending their disbelief," he said. "They come to the show with a natural curiosity to understand what I'm doing.

"Adults tend to be more bound by reality and fixed parameters. I'm working on becoming a better artist when it comes to playing to adults, though. Adult audiences are sometimes fun because they like to sneer and moan at my bad puns. Somebody has to do that because the puns, like me, are never going to go away."

Working at a feverish pace is what makes Paul Mesner feel whole as an artist. "I'll do 300 to 350 shows a year traveling around the country," he said.

Indeed, Mesner will entertain 17,000 children and adults at his theater in Kansas City and, through touring, will reach over 100,000 people across the United States and Canada.

"What makes this so enjoyable is that no two performances are alike," said Mesner. "Sometimes an arm will fall off one of the characters and then I get to ad-lib. I've become pretty good at that.

"I guess that's why I feel like I should count my blessings," added Mesner. "It's what I've wanted to do since I was 12. Once I found a grade school audience that would listen and ask for more, I was hooked."

A native of Lincoln, Neb., Mesner left his home state on several occasions to learn more about his craft.

"I studied under a very strict shadow puppeteer in a tiny European town several years ago," said Mesner, who was one of fifteen puppet-artists from around the world chosen for the class.

"He was very insistent on what had to be done. I guess there's a little dictator in all of us. The difference is a matter of degree."

Mesner, who doesn't hesitate to reveal his sharp wit, found an alternate name for the town of Charleville-Mezieres (pronounced mizairee), France. "We called it Charleville misery because that's what it felt like studying under the strict puppeteer," he said.

He also studied ballet in Omaha, Neb., and dance at Creighton University for one semester.

"I love to learn," said Mesner. "I never stayed in college long enough to get a degree, yet I've learned a lot about what I do. I read voraciously and am constantly trying new things to make the show even better."

This from the only member of his family who failed to get three degrees. "My father is a professor of mathematics. He's obviously a very learned man. I wanted to follow the same path as everyone else. But when I found that I could make a living as a puppeteer when I was a teenager, I just never managed to put it down long enough to study something else."

Mesner will perform Peter And The Wolf and Anasi with Steve Shipman and Pat Conway, a bassoonist.

"Pat is a bassoonist primarly, but we let him work with one of the puppets just to give him a thrill," quipped Mesner.

Peter and The Wolf has been a favorite of audiences throughout the world since Russian composer Profofieff wrote the story and music in 1936.

The addition of puppetry brings a new visual dimension to the classic story. Peter the Wolf, and other characters are performed with large hand rod puppets built by Messner.

"I usually have to go to a thrift store to get the articles of clothing and items for props," said Mesner. "It's strange some of the places I find props for them."

Some say the word "Anansi" means to "weave a story", which is just what Anansi loves to do.

With the help of Paul Mesner, free-floating toward another gravity-free performance, of course.