01/20/12

Story by Diane Carroll

'Stuffed and Unstrung'

Henson puppet show promises loads of laughs for adults

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – If you like to laugh, you might want to check out Stuffed and Unstrung – Henson Alternative.

The live uncensored show unleashes the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets. The one-of-a-kind show, for adults only, will be presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, in the Carlsen Center's Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College.

Tickets are $80, $45 and $35. They are available through the college box office at 913-469-4445 or at jccc.edu/TheSeries.

The show, which officially opened in New York in April 2010, was put together by the Henson Alternative Puppet Theatre. Entertainment Weekly gave it a grade of "A" saying, "It's nearly impossible to do anything but laugh."

Award-winning director and producer Brian Henson created the show with improvisational guru Patrick Bristow, who hosts it. It features a cast of six puppeteers who engage in improv games with input from the audience. The puppet action is projected on large screens flanking the stage while the puppeteers display their talents below, all in full view of the audience.

The show, which is accompanied with music, is unpredictable and irreverent. It's never the same show twice because it's built from storylines that start with prompts from the audience.

Stuffed and Unstrung evolved from Henson's previous production called Puppet Up! – Uncensored, which made its debut at the 2006 HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colo., and then toured festivals in Scotland, Las Vegas, Nev., and Australia.

Henson is chairman of the Jim Henson Company and the Henson Alternative is the company's label for content created specifically and exclusively for adult audiences.

Henson served as executive director on the television projects Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (which he also directed) and Jim Henson's Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (which he co-wrote and directed.) His film directing credits The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island.

Most recently, Henson has served as an executive producer of the Emmy-nominated science-readiness pre-school series Sid the Science Kid, airing daily on PBS KIDS.

Bristow is best known for his numerous television appearances, most notably as Peter on the ABC Series Ellen. Other television credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, Friends and Mad About You.

Bristow's film credits include The Longest Yard, the first Austin Powers, So I Married an Ax Murderer and Twilight of the Golds.

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