May 10, 2010, by
If Disney can do it, why not Adult Swim?
“The Lion King” was converted from a hugely popular animated film to a successful Broadway theater musical – with puppets.
Now Adult Swim has taken one of its longest-running hits “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and turned it into a theater show – with puppets.
The multi-city tour, hitting cities such as Columbus, Ohio and Buffalo, ends in Atlanta Saturday.
David Willis, a show creator, said he was inspired less by Disney and more by fellow Adult Swim shows "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" and "Metalocalypse," both of which have done theater tours.
“This is marketing,” he said. “Sure, it’s a leap from an 11-minute cartoon to this live thing. But we think the humor is consistent with our show and everything fits our sensibility.”
The animated show features a trouble-making shake, a dopey meatball and an unusually bright box of fries. They torment a sweaty, unhappy neighbor Carl. Plotlines seldom make any sense and there's no consistent continuity. The live show features voice-over actors Willis and Dana Snyder, who sing silly songs, act out scenes from the carton and ridicule their fans.
The tour crew travels by bus, just like a rock band. But that’s where the comparison ends. “This is not Van Halen,” Willis said.
For instance, groupies are non existent. “We play every night in front of 400 sweaty dudes,” he said. “I’d say the male-female ratio is like 100 to one. The only women are those dragged in with their boyfriend.”
It’s probably just as well: Willis is married with two kids.
But fans show their love in different ways. In Portland, a man gave him a gift of handblown glass bongs shaped in the characters. The Frylock bong even had a jewel in the back that lit up.
“For some reason, everyone assumes you do a show about a talking milkshake that you love marijuana!” he said. “I’d say that’s a bit of a stretch.”
In fact, he said there’s no way they could do this show stoned. “All we’d do is sit Indian-style on the stage talking about what the show would be like.”
Some fans, though, are overly enthusiastic. One person, Willis said, tried to swipe the $800 Carl puppet. Fortunately, they found it in a closet. “Someone tossed it and stuck it in a closet to pick up later,” he said.
And instead of endearing themselves on stage, Carl insults each city in a bit called “regional beef.” In Buffalo, he insulted their “repressed Catholic alcoholic tendencies,” then showed their wide variety of cuisine: 30 different photos of Buffalo wings.
Has anyone attacked them? “Not yet,” Willis said. “But there’s always Philly!”
IN CONCERT
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Saturday, May 15, 9 p.m.
Center Stage
1374 W. Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta
$25 general admission
www.ticketmaster.com 1-800-745-3000
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