Asked to propose an arch-villain for a mock James Bond thriller, the audience at the opening of Henson Alternative's raunchy puppet comedy "Stuffed and Unstrung" chose Bachmann over Rick Santorum by a wide margin. The triple-X-rated puns and rhymes that ensued, in a furry puppet-performed theme song from "Octowussy" another audience suggestion , ranged from amusing to unfortunate to hilarious - and from gross to inspired to downright ugly.
But that's to be expected when you turn loose a large ensemble of Muppet-related Miskreant Puppets to perform improvisational comedy. It's a pretty special show in several other ways as well. Created by Brian Henson, successor to his late father as chairman of the Jim Henson Company, and improv guru Patrick Bristow, "Stuffed" combines the magic of first-rate Henson-style puppetry and the joy of ribald comedy with a fascinating and endlessly entertaining, bifurcated look at how TV puppetry works.
And then some. Two large screens flank the stage where Bristow serves as the affable master of ceremonies, his clean-cut looks belying a sly proclivity to nudge the audience toward suggesting risque improv ideas. Henson Alternative is the adult-entertainment wing of the company, after all, and this show started life as "Puppet Up!
Henson and five other capable puppeteers, most with improv credentials, select characters from the gala panoply onstage and perform between the screens, generally holding the puppets above their heads.
Watch the screens, and you'll see the puppets as they'd appear onscreen. Watch the actors, and you'll see them performing complex maneuvers and improvising like crazy while staring down at TV monitors to gauge their spatial relationships and expressions.
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Privacy Statement. Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window. Then there's this whole new troupe, the Miskreant Puppets, shaking things up both onstage and, if everything goes to plan, on screen. The Miskreants began life about eight years ago.
Turbulence in the Henson Co. Henson hooked up with Groundlings instructor Patrick Bristow , 48, a familiar face from dozens of TV appearances, who became the co-creator of and the master of ceremonies in "Stuffed and Unstrung.
Eye contact is key in improv. Henson says that problem was solvable. You can see it in the eyes. You can tell when a puppet has an idea. The Henson crew started attending weekly workshops with Bristow, who says that even on the first night, "we knew it was a really delicious mix of puppetry and improv.
The puppeteers took to it quickly and adeptly, but I had no idea it would have broader appeal or the life that it has. The improv education is now a formal part of the Henson training protocol. It also spawned a hit show that debuted as "Puppet Up! With Bristow fielding audience suggestions, a cast of six puppeteers and 80 puppets improvise sketches and songs for two hours.
The audience can watch the puppeteers at work or watch the puppets on the two big screens.
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