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‘Spooky Puppet…The Beginning’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW: “Spooky Puppet . . .the Beginning.” Through Oct. 30. Horror always resides in a spooky house on a hill, and babes lost in the woods never run away from danger. They leap voluntarily into the vortex every time.
It’s from these tired-and-true camp formulas that the Center for Puppetry Arts’ “Spooky Puppet . . . the Beginning� now rears its ugly head.
In director-writer Clint Thornton’s purported prequel to Lucky Yates’ “Spooky Puppet Horror Show,� an impossibly tall, white-gowned drag-queen thing known as Fang traps a virgin and her goofus fiancé in a ghoulish puppet motel for an orgy of evil.
“A hundred puppets and a blood-red moon!� shrieks Fang as she introduces her circus of freaks and monsters. (Be forewarned, the raunchy romp is intended for ages 18 and up only.)
While Yates’ cult favorite was a chance for his randy creation Fiend to don a smoking jacket and tap a keg of silly sexual shenanigans, here Thornton attempts to describe the events leading up to the birth of Fiend and sidekick She-Devil.
Unfortunately, Thornton’s tale of Rod and Rosie and their inevitable brush with Fang is a fumble. The show is neither particularly scary nor funny, and the injection of an intermission makes the 80-minute evening feel longer than it should.
The veiled nature of puppetry would seem to be a perfect conduit for sophisticated suspense. After all, you get more goose bumps by suggesting evil than you do by screaming bloody murder.
But once we see where the tale of Rosie (Kathleen Link) and the aptly named Rod (Ed Link) is headed, our imagination doesn’t have far to travel, and Thornton’s low comedy offers uninspired writing and too few surprises. References to “Hello, Dolly!� and “The Sound of Music�? Come on.
That said, Bryan Mercer’s performance as the sick and manipulative Fang is perversely delightful, and Kathleen McManus’ nymphomaniacal Lips — nothing more than an enormous pair of red smackers on a pair of sticks — is a hoot. Instead of doing Peggy Lee’s torchy “Fever,� she sings “Fever Blister.�
Then there’s Fang’s “phantom Dick� (Adam Fristoe), who gets to rivet Rosie in a dental chair, while anesthetized Rod is kept under the knife (as it were). Along the way, a doll is blended into a shake, and a trio of swinging objects (the Evil Axes) does a surreal conceptualist ballet.
Maybe “Spooky Puppet� would work better if it mixed a bit more woo-hoo with things that go boo. Toward that end, the center is offering half-price student tickets on Wednesdays, free beer on Thursdays, and costume contests and live music on Saturdays.
Hopefully that will amp up the spooks and the spirits.
Otherwise (and we never thought we’d say this): Come back, Lucky. Come back.
THE VERDICT: Boo.
8 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays; 8 and 11 p.m. Saturdays. Through Oct. 30. $16-$20. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-873-3089, 404-873-3391, www.puppet.org.
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By C Silver
October 20, 2004 10:16 AM | Link to this
Spooky Puppet…the Beginning is a fun, entertaining show that showcases the creativity and skill of many performers we have in the Atlanta area. I would and have recommended the show to all my friends…those who know how and enjoy having a good time, anyway
Mr. Brock’s review or opinion “as it were” is little more than a demonstration of his presumed knowledge of Theater (in particluar, puppetry) and his wordy, tiring writing style. What happened to well-written, thoughtful and concise reviews that actually provide theater enthusiasts with meaningful information by which they may make informed decisions about the shows they choose to see?
One would do well to remember that reviews (of any type) typically express the opinion of one person who often possesses little or no legitimate experience in the subject that they are reviewing.
For anyone who enjoys having a fun evening, go see the show.