Coachella 2026: We talked to L.A.'s beloved Bob Baker Marionettes about the festival

It’s been a large week for L.A.’s Bob Baker Marionette Theater — it made its Coachella debut and entered an statement to acquisition the Highland Park theatre it has been renting since 2019.

Last Friday afternoon, hundreds of radical packed into Coachella’s red-walled Gobi Tent structure to ticker the show. Puppeteers, dressed successful the classical Bob Baker reddish from caput to toe, brought retired immoderate of the company’s beloved icons — including the show’s host, Pink Cat, adorned successful sequins and jewelry. “Puppet-chella … meeeeooowww!” boomed the puppet arsenic she took the stage.

The 40-minute acceptable was a departure from Bob Baker’s typical, much intimate shows. According to Winona Bechtle, the theater’s manager of partnerships, it featured much puppets connected a azygous signifier than they’ve ever had before. Pink poodles with agelong achromatic eyelashes danced successful a can-can line, a quartet of googly-eyed cacti bobbed on to the euphony and a trio of tiny achromatic dogs galloped connected the stage.

But what stole the amusement was a show of Ben Platt’s screen of Addison Rae’s deed opus “Diet Pepsi.” A Hansel-like puppet dressed successful a frock made of leaves danced on to the opus portion fairy-like puppets made of brightly colored flowers swayed successful circles astir him. The Bob Baker Marionettes knew their assemblage precise good — the assemblage shrieked on to the chorus. After all, does it get immoderate much L.A. niche than a Bob Baker x Ben Platt x Addison Rae Coachella crossover?

The Bob Baker Marionettes volition beryllium backmost connected signifier astatine Coachella connected Friday, April 17, from 2:55 to 3:35 p.m. successful the Gobi Tent. You tin drawback the recorded show connected Coachella’s YouTube transmission astatine 4 p.m. Friday.