"Puppet Up! -- Uncensored," an adults-only improv show featuring puppets instead of people, comes from the Jim Henson Company -- but don't expect Kermit the Frog singing "It Ain't Easy Bein' Blue."
First, these are puppets, not Muppets: In 2004, the Mouse ate the Frog -- that is, the Walt Disney Co. acquired the Muppet characters, including Kermit and Miss Piggy, for $90 million. Second, "Puppet Up!" which will perform tonight at the Avalon Hollywood theater, does not include recognizable characters from other TV shows and movies that have featured Henson Company characters, including "Sesame Street," "Dinosaurs" and "Fraggle Rock."
According to "Puppet Up" producer-performer Brian Henson, son of the late Jim Henson, and director-host Patrick Bristow, the idea of limiting the show to adults is not to push for R-rated material but rather to allow the audience free range to toss out improvisational suggestions -- and performers to run with them -- without shocking parents to whom the word "puppet" means family entertainment.
In fact, even with a cast of puppets that includes 12 anthropomorphic hot dogs, none has ever been used onstage to suggest any portion of the male anatomy -- though one of the hot dogs has stood in for Britain's Prince Charles. With an enthusiastic cast of mostly Henson Company veterans, one may assume all hot dogs will be portrayed with relish.
The puppets are no more anatomically correct than one might expect of any Henson creations. Because the cast includes humanoids, extinct species, plants, animals, aliens and food items, nudity is appropriate in some cases.
Kermit didn't make the cut
The group of 75-odd -- in fact, very odd -- puppets includes some newly created for "Puppet Up" and some that have had minor roles in previous Henson productions. The idea is to avoid using puppets recognizable from other shows so the puppeteers can use them free of audience expectations about the voice or personality of the puppet.
"My dad was a very funny guy," Henson says during a pre-rehearsal conversation at Jim Henson Studios on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood. The company's headquarters, housed in the former Charlie Chaplin Studios, is immediately recognizable by the large green Kermit tipping his hat from a rooftop. "He started in late-night television and did commercials and a variety act before ever doing a TV series. In those days, his humor was very adult but in a highly censored medium. In this show, there isn't any reason the humor has to be inappropriate for young audiences, but it is improvised, and we try not to censor the audience."
