PUPPET UP! UNCENSORED by Brian Henson and Patrick Bristow (WestBeth Entertainment, Mirvish). At the Panasonic (651 Yonge). To November 3. $19-$75. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com. See listing. Rating: NNNN
The late puppeteer Jim Henson’s furry, family-friendly creatures are world famous, but few know about the edgy adult offshoot of his company called Henson Alternative. They’re the force behind Puppet Up!, a riotously funny improvised puppet show.
Brian Henson (producer and Jim’s son) helped create the work with character comic Patrick Bristow (Google him – you’ve seen him before), who also acts as director and the genial host, helping to introduce scenes, elicit audience participation and choose which of the improvising puppeteers take part in a segment.
These short-form scenes have a set premise but the subjects and themes are fuelled by crowd suggestions. The show I attended included a bedtime story about a trip to Ikea involving diarrhea (expect lots of scatalogical offerings) and a theme song/opening credit number to a James Bond-like film about canoes, in which Jesus Christ was the villain.
The improvisers are first-rate, creating punchy lines (and in the case of the Bond bit rhyming lyrics) on the spot and manipulating their puppets for a camera that projects them onto two giant screens. There’s terrific use of depth and perspective and, in a couple of scenes, some amusing visual tricks.
Musical director Willie Etra expertly evokes the tone of each sketch at the keyboard.
These improvised scenes are puncuated by a couple of recreations of classic scenes by the late Henson and Frank Oz that prove that great comedy is universal and timeless.
Because most of our attention is on the colourful and beautifully designed puppets – my favourites being a growling dog and a bespectacled nerd – there’s not much time to appreciate the performers. But their improvised lines range from okay to clever to pee-your-pants hilarious.
By its very nature, each show in the brief run will be different. But if you like comedy, the Muppets or simply seeing great imaginations at play, pull whatever strings you have to and buy a ticket.
