Debauched aliens targeting a burlesque beauty. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty, as you will see if you venture into The MC Showroom to see They Came From Uranus. This is burlesque with a decided difference, insofar as it is adult puppetry in the form of a sci-fi cabaret. The staging is salacious and the costuming is nothing…
He calls Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre his second home and why wouldn’t he because audiences love him here every time he tours. Put simply, David Strassman is in a stratosphere all his own when it comes to ventriloquism. In his hands and with his vocalisation, his puppets come to life. They are naïve, antagonistic, impudent and oh so…
Before The Book of Mormon, the equally delightfully-offensive Avenue Q was wowing audiences with its combination of childlike whimsy and adult issues. The hilariously vulgar puppet show features similarly skillful lyrics in its catchy soundtrack, from the upbeat sounds of “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” to the sentimental reflections of “I Wish I Could Go…
In 2016 we had the graphic animated comedy Sausage Party. Some absolutely hated it, while others regarded it a work of raunchy comic genius. Well, here we go again; as puppetry interplays with live action in The Happytime Murders. The film is many things: a murder mystery, a buddy cop story, a tale of diversity…
Push The Book of Mormon over a cliff and mix in an unhealthy dose of Avenue Q and you go some way to describing the irreverence that is Hand to God. A puppet practice workshop in a church gets shanghaied by the devil and it’s only a matter of time before proceedings spiral totally out…
Theatre is full of surprises, little gems of productions that take you on unexpected journeys and make audiences think about life and the universe differently. Bambert’s Book of Lost Stories is one such gem. Marketed as suitable for ages 8 – 108, the production is certainly engaging and delightful, but parents do need to know…
I am a great fan of Dead Puppet Society. It has walkways intrigued me with dark tales and clever puppetry combined with the human element to create fascinating entertainment. But Argus, designed and directed by David Morton, is something completely different and challenging. There were no giant puppets, or mysterious figures behind doors, in fact…
