For puppeteers Paula Lambert and Michael Monaghan their house in Dun Laoghaire isn't simply a place to live - it's a workshop, impromptu rehearsal theatre and home not only to the couple and their three children but to countless beautifully crafted puppets. Since their most famous puppet Bosco was axed from RTE to the dismay of a multitude of children and parents, Paula and her partner Michael Monaghan have taken him on the road, staging performances in theatres, town halls and private houses all over the country. A whole new generation of children are falling in love with the impish puppet.
"The kids have never seen him on TV, but they feel they know him. They relate to Bosco because he's `one of the lads'. A lot of the adults who come spend the evening watching their kid's faces," says Paula, who looks far too young to be 24-year-old Bosco's "mammy".
"We did a big birthday party on Saturday. They were a close-knit family - mother, father, children and both sets of grandparents were there. It was incredible, because that's a rare thing. When my kids were small, my parents were always around." On the outside, Paula and Michael's Dun Laoghaire home is a typical period cottage with squared windows either side of a painted front door and a small railed garden. The kind of house described by estate agents as a "period gem". Only the Volkswagen van parked outside the gate suggests a less conventional lifestyle. With three almost-grown children, dogs Jeff and Billy and a menagerie of puppets to find room for, space is tight. "We've a huge attic full to the brim. We need a large workspace because props have to be kept in reasonable condition," says Paula.
Eldest son Ronan, after a stint as a stand-up comic, is now working with his grandparents at the Lambert Puppet Theatre behind their Monkstown home. Emily, "the sensible one" according to Paula, is doing well in a graphic design company. Johnny, the youngest, is still at school but helps his grandparents at weekends with their puppet shows. "Ronan can't afford to move. He was looking at one-bed flats for £800 a month. Rents have to come from two salaries now unless they're making a fortune," says Paula, who would obviously hate it if any of the children moved out.
On Saturdays, 12-year-old Johnny does the baking for birthday parties at the Lambert theatre. "He bakes really delicious buns and cakes. I didn't know how good he was until my mother was sick and I had to take over for a couple of weeks. He just loves cooking," explains Paula. Paula and Michael often help out at the Monkstown puppet theatre where Paula learned her craft. At the scrubbed pine table in the kitchen, the couple are putting the finishing touches to the puppets for the Sleeping Beauty tour. "We make everything ourselves. Michael's brilliant at making gizmos and gadgets with pulley systems you just can't buy," says Paula. "Paula makes the heads to establish them as people," adds Michael.
They are taking the show to Portlaoise, Galway, Mullingar and Kilmallock in May, then back to Dublin for the whole of July. The couple met in 1984 when Michael was producing the Bosco series and the children's programme was riding high in the TAM ratings. The copyright was owned by RTE so no personal fortunes were made, leaving Paula and Michael to start again from scratch when the show was replaced by The Moorbegs. People ask all the time why Bosco was taken off, Paula adds.
"I still don't know myself. Sooty is still around after all these years, so there's no excuse. I prefer the job I do now because we're in touch with children and you learn all the time. It's much more enjoyable, but I'd like to do more television." "Bosco was a hot act," says Michael. "We made an LP Bosco Sings and the entire lot was sold out in two weeks."
The Dun Laoghaire house, three cottages joined together, needed a lot of work.
When the roofing firm they employed went bankrupt without finishing the work, Paula's father Eugene - a professional builder by trade - stepped in. Her brother Gene designed the magical Zen garden at the back of the house. A pond and a waterfall, giant bamboo, ginko and a magnificent eucalyptus with peeling bark give an exotic look to the fairly small space.
The big Victorian kitchen, which looks out on the garden, has shining pots and pans on hooks, a dresser crowded with china and a scrubbed pine table used for everything from family meals to puppet-making. Paula is "a masterly cook" says Michael. They didn't inherit any of the original fittings, to Paula's regret.
"But my mum has a wonderful house and a good eye. When you're brought up in an old house it stays with you. We did a lovely gig last year for the horticulture show in Dun Laoghaire where everyone rolled up in Victorian clothes. This year we're going to do a month for my dad to give him a break.
"We don't employ anybody, because the work is too complicated and we love being in total control. The happiest times are when it's just the two of us. The only thing we don't like is driving for miles. We used to drive up and down to Tralee in one day. Now we're staying at home more than we used to do. Maybe we're getting sensible."
