About
About
Puppet Up! - Uncensored is a night of outrageous, off-the-cuff comedy...
...featuring 80 of the MISKREANT puppets brought to life by a cast of world-class comedian puppeteers from The Jim Henson Company.
Host - Patrick Bristow
Puppet Up! - Uncensored is a night of outrageous, off-the-cuff comedy...
...featuring 80 of the MISKREANT puppets brought to life by a cast of world-class comedian puppeteers from The Jim Henson Company. Created by legendary puppeteer and award-winning director Brian Henson and directed by Patrick Bristow (Ellen, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Puppet Up! - Uncensored is never the same show twice.
Based on suggestions from the audience, Patrick and his team of expert puppeteers create a hilarious two-shows-in-one: the improvised puppet action projected live on screens above the stage, with the puppeteers racing around below in full view of the audience. The show also features recreations of classic pieces originally created by Jim and Jane Henson, and Frank Oz that haven’t been seen by live audiences in decades.
This is no ordinary puppet show.
Upcoming Shows
Upcoming Shows
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RECREATION PIECES
RECREATION PIECES
OUR FEATURED RECREATION PIECES
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OUR FEATURED RECREATION PIECES 〰️
Glow Worm
Usually referred to as "Glow Worm" or "Inchworm" as a reference to one of the characters,
this sketch involved an amphibian-like puppet humming a tune while sitting on a wall as a worm crawls to him and bothers him several times. The sketch originated on Sam and Friends where Kermit is bothered by two fingers, which he eats. When a third one appears, Kermit pulls it up, revealing an entire human hand. The two inspect each other before the hand tickles Kermit off the wall.
Business Business
“Business Business” is a variety sketch performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1968. Jim Henson developed the routine under the original title "Sell-Out." In the sketch, two creatures discuss business and financial terms. Two other creatures join in to battle the business creatures with words of love and kindness.
I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face
"I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face" developed by Jim Henson, was performed on several different variety shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s - including NBC's Tonight!, The Steve Allen Show, The Jack Paar Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show, among others. In the bit, a woman (originally Kermit the Frog wearing a wig) lip synchs to the Rosemary Clooney recording, singing to a small creature that appears to have a deceivingly adorable face.
Cool Jazz
“Cool Jazz” is a routine originally performed by the Muppets on Sam and Friends in 1961, then was done on several variety shows during the 1960s. The sketch involves three gloved human hands tapping and dancing to a cool jazz rendition of "Flying Home" only to be interrupted by a fourth hand playing "Stars and Stripes Forever" on a radio. The current version uses a well known “less cool” march. The sketch was taped for The Jimmy Dean Show but never aired.
Reviews
Reviews
reviews
"You cannot imagine the mayhem that erupts when an uninhibited house takes its cues from the gifted lunatics onstage. As uproariously uncensored an adult entertainment as you could hope for without lap dancers!”
– LOS ANGELES TIMES
“The magic of first-rate Henson-style puppetry and the ribald joy of comedy.”
– San Francisco Chronicle
“Dark, innovative and hilarious, they reiterate the marvelous possibilities of puppets in the hands of masters like these.”
– chortle, Edinburgh, UK
"Raunchy, trash-talking puppets that’d make Miss Piggy blush"
– New York Post
“It’s nearly impossible to spend the show’s two hours doing anything but laugh.Grade: A”
– Entertainment Weekly
Producers
Producers
About Henson Alternative
Henson Alternative is The Jim Henson Company’s label for content created specifically and exclusively for adult audiences. In 1955, Jim Henson’s first television production “Sam & Friends” appeared on late-night television as a lead in to “The Tonight Show,” establishing a standard in the Company’s work for irreverent, creative comedy projects that spoke to adults. Appearances on “The Jimmy Dean Show,” “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and “Saturday Night Live,” as well as numerous short films for clients like IBM and AT&T, proved that Henson puppetry was not limited to children. Today, Henson Alternative continues to produce and develop projects for this audience. Credits include “No, You Shut Up!,” (Fusion), “Neil’s Puppet Dreams” (Nerdist), “Tinseltown” (Logo), “Puppet Up! – Uncensored” (a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 “Best Stage Shows” by Entertainment Weekly), and the feature film “Happytime Murders”. (www.hensonalternative.com)
About WestBeth Entertainment
Arnold Engelman, Founder/President. WBE has consistently delivered critically acclaimed, financially successful, groundbreaking productions for over 40 years. Beginning as The Westbeth Theatre Center and morphing into WestBeth Entertainment, developing and introducing artists and talent to North American audiences is a big part of WestBeth’s history. From Billy Connolly to Eddie Izzard, The Jim Henson Company to John Leguizamo and Trevor Noah to Hannah Gadsby, WBE has been the creative catalyst, partner and producer of some of the most innovative performances and productions on the continent in venues throughout North America including Madison Square Garden, The Hollywood Bowl, Toronto’s Massey Hall, The Chicago Theatre and Radio City Musical Hall.
WestBeth’s most recent productions include the Ray Davies musical ‘Sunny Afternoon’ at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and potential future North American tour, Eddie Izzard’s triple extended New York Off Broadway run of ‘Hamlet’, as well as the record breaking runs of ‘Hamlet’ in Chicago, San Fransico and Seattle. Oher productions include, Professor Alice Roberts ‘From Cell to Civilization’ Canada tour, Jarlath Regan’s ‘In Bits’ North American tour, Tommy Tiernan’s ‘Tommedian’ North American tour, Eddie Izzard’s The Remix Live North American tour, Aunty Donna’s The Magical Dead Cat Tour across the US and Canada, Off-Broadway production of Eddie Izzard performing Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations followed by a 9 week limited run in London’s prestigious Garrick Theatre to critical acclaim, Professor Brian Cox’s Horizon’ tour of North America, and Brian Henson’s Puppet Up! Uncensored for multiple runs in Los Angeles.