Puppet Up! Uncensored, at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre
This was my first time seeing Puppet Up, and I honestly didn't know what to expect beyond "improv" and "adults only, no holding back." What I didn't realize going in is that the puppeteers rotate, so literally no two shows are alike, and they build everything live off audience suggestions.
I'm really glad Brian
Henson
is doing this. He's kind of on the cutting edge with this whole improv concept, who would've thought puppetry and unscripted adult comedy would work together this well. The cast wove in some classic material from the earliest Jim Henson days too, and that brought back so much of the whimsy and wonder the puppets are capable of. It felt thoughtful, like they genuinely wanted to honor where this all started, and they even said they felt honored that we were all enjoying it together.
What really got me was realizing how much skill is hidden under the "make it look effortless" of it all. They pulled an audience member up for a crash course in puppeteering, just moving the mouth, basic mechanics, and it was clearly so much harder than it looks. That moment really drove home how much technical control these puppeteers have underneath all that improvised chaos.
It's a lively, sixteen-and-over show, and that rating is earned, there's plenty of adult language and suggestive content. But if you go in ready for that, it's a genuinely magical, funny night. read more