They may dance, they may sing, they may even tell a few blue jokes.
Puppets with a famous lineage will hit the stage for a no-holds-barred variety improv-driven show that continues the legacy of a legendary puppeteer. The long-running “Puppet Up!” show comes to the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Los Angeles from July 31 through Aug. 9 for eight performances made up of dozens of puppets performing off-the-cuff comedy.
“We just set out to find what is the funniest contemporary tone of comedy,” said Brian Henson, the creative force behind “Puppet Up!,” the world-renowned stage show that features hilarious improv and sketch comedy and classic pieces created by Brian’s late parents and legendary puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson. “And yes, we’ve been doing this show a long time but because it’s largely improvised the show evolves organically.”
Puppet Up has toured the world for more than 20 years and features a team of puppeteers from The Jim Henson Company who perform a unique two-shows-in-one experience with all the puppet action projected live on screens above the stage while the puppeteers are racing around below in full view of the audience. This gives those in attendance a sort of behind- the-scenes look at what the puppeteers do to bring the characters to life.
“What we set out to do was make the funniest puppet show that we could make for a live audience and at the same time allow the audience to see how we at the Jim Henson company work with puppets,” Henson said. “It can be pretty chaotic.”
The performance is driven by improvised sketches with topics suggested by the audience. And since Henson doesn’t want to censor the creativity, the show is open to people 16 years of age or older only because the puppets can get slightly mischievous at times.
“It’s a combination of short form comedy improv scenes where the audience suggest a topic or some element of the scene and they attack that concept and its really hilarious,” he said.
While it’s not raunchy, some of the topics can have the puppets diving into adult situations like work place drama and experiences at the doctor’s office, which is why Henson wanted to make the show 16 and over only.
“The show gets a little but raucous and a little bit adult in a really funny way,” Henson said.
The show is also an homage to Henson’s parents since it features musical numbers and recreations of classic pieces originally created by Jim and Jane Henson and fellow puppeteer Frank Oz that haven’t been seen by live audiences in decades.
“The result is a very high-speed show that’s hilariously funny,” Henson said.
‘Puppet Up!’
When: Various times July 31-Aug. 9
Where: The Ricardo Montalbán Theatre, 1615 Vine St,
Hollywood
Tickets: $49 and up
Information: puppetup.com