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I thought I'd do a short report about Puppet Up in Sydney on Friday.
I can say that this was one of the best nights of my life! It was great!
If you are in Melbourne or going to be anywhere near there get tickets to the Melbourne show if you can, it can't be missed!
If you are going to the Melbourne shows and don't want to spoil anything it might be best not to read below, but because its an improv show it will be quite different each show anyway.
The show was in the State Theatre in Sydney which is located right in the centre of the city and its a beautiful old theatre which is listed as a national heritage building. It is similar to the muppet show theatre only much more elaborately decorated its a huge theatre and very spacious.
The show started at 8pm on Friday night and I got there quite early and sat in the theatre for over 30 minutes before the show started, the stage was all open with no curtain and 2 large video screens were located at each side on the stage along and underneath on the left side of the stage were directors chairs for each puppeteer with their name on them. on the edge of the stage were small video monitors for the puppeteers and a small camera was in the middle of the stage. Before the show, the theatre was darkened and to one side of the stage was something large covered with black facric. Also in the middle of the stage there was a curtain.
At 8pm the lights were dimmed and some sound effects were heard and out came Brian henson and Julianne Buescher with their puppets on a darkened stage, the lights came on and they gave a preshow act and explanation of the show and after Brians character shouted numerous times asking the audience if they were ready for the show, and the audience applauded loudly the show began.
The stage was darkened again and the curtain in the middle of the stage rose to reveal a colourful backdrop and all the puppeteers standing there in a group and the music started for the puppet up opening song and they all danced out with the puppets, it was great. Once the song was finished the host and director of the show Patrick Bristow came out onstage and introduced himself and all the puppeteers one by one and they all sat in their chair. He then explained a few things about the show about the monitors etc
The first skit was with Brian Henson and Drew Massey and it was about a Lebanese bakery, very weird but quite funny. Brian Had a problem with his microphone, it was distorted so afterwards a technician came onstage to change his microphone.
The show then went on for another hour and 25 minutes and it was great to see all the puppeteers there and ofcourse Brian Henson. Its a very rare event for Sydney. Even the parts that werent totally hilarious it was still highly entertaining because theres so much to see on the stage.
The show ended and the puppeteers did their final goodbye and then returned to the stage for the puppet up song but this time they cleverly did it with just their bare hands as puppets.
After the show finished I noticed a few people had souvenir programmes but I couldnt see them for sale anywhere which is weird because usually they try and get everyone to buy them. I bought one and they were only $10 AUD.
I rushed outside and scrambled through the crowd with the hope of catching the puppeteers at the stage door.
I was waiting for about 10 minutes in the wrong place before a theatre worker told me to keep walking along this alleyway which was really narrow and long, but at the end I got the surprise of my life, half the puppeteers were standing there talking and waiting for their taxis and some of them saw me and autographed my programme and were talking to me. I asked if Brian was coming out and they said yes.
I was standing around getting more aurographs and I looked behind me and there was Brian Henson! I was quite nervous, I just couldn't believe i was in that situation but I asked him if he would mind signing his autograph and he said sure, and asked if I liked the show and of course I said it was GREAT! and had a very brief talk to him. I was then talking to Victor Yerrid for a while and by that time they all had came out of the stage door and were more than happy to sign their autograph which was really nice of them. I couldn't have expected them to be any nicer, I was a little nervous like I usually am when I'm at stage doors but they made me feel very welcome. They all seemed surprised that I had travelled about an hour and a half to get there.
I wish I could have said more to them or got a photo with them but I didn't think of that, my mind had sortof turned to jelly because I really didn't expect them to even be at the stage door, let alone be so friendly to me. The Taxis started to arrive and I think it was one or 2 per taxi and I saw Brian get in and leave and then it was soon time to go.
If they were doing more than 2 more shows in Sydney I would have gone back to Sydney to say hi again because some seemed interested in photos of my puppets but i didn't come that prepared.
I hope I get to see them again or for this show or a similar show to come to Australia again. If they came back next year id be thrilled!
So if you are thinking of going to one or more of the shows in Melbourne I highly recommend going and if you can try and find out where the stage door is even if you are nervous because they are the friendliest people ever.
I can say that this was one of the best nights of my life! It was great!
If you are in Melbourne or going to be anywhere near there get tickets to the Melbourne show if you can, it can't be missed!
If you are going to the Melbourne shows and don't want to spoil anything it might be best not to read below, but because its an improv show it will be quite different each show anyway.
The show was in the State Theatre in Sydney which is located right in the centre of the city and its a beautiful old theatre which is listed as a national heritage building. It is similar to the muppet show theatre only much more elaborately decorated its a huge theatre and very spacious.
The show started at 8pm on Friday night and I got there quite early and sat in the theatre for over 30 minutes before the show started, the stage was all open with no curtain and 2 large video screens were located at each side on the stage along and underneath on the left side of the stage were directors chairs for each puppeteer with their name on them. on the edge of the stage were small video monitors for the puppeteers and a small camera was in the middle of the stage. Before the show, the theatre was darkened and to one side of the stage was something large covered with black facric. Also in the middle of the stage there was a curtain.
At 8pm the lights were dimmed and some sound effects were heard and out came Brian henson and Julianne Buescher with their puppets on a darkened stage, the lights came on and they gave a preshow act and explanation of the show and after Brians character shouted numerous times asking the audience if they were ready for the show, and the audience applauded loudly the show began.
The stage was darkened again and the curtain in the middle of the stage rose to reveal a colourful backdrop and all the puppeteers standing there in a group and the music started for the puppet up opening song and they all danced out with the puppets, it was great. Once the song was finished the host and director of the show Patrick Bristow came out onstage and introduced himself and all the puppeteers one by one and they all sat in their chair. He then explained a few things about the show about the monitors etc
The first skit was with Brian Henson and Drew Massey and it was about a Lebanese bakery, very weird but quite funny. Brian Had a problem with his microphone, it was distorted so afterwards a technician came onstage to change his microphone.
The show then went on for another hour and 25 minutes and it was great to see all the puppeteers there and ofcourse Brian Henson. Its a very rare event for Sydney. Even the parts that werent totally hilarious it was still highly entertaining because theres so much to see on the stage.
The show ended and the puppeteers did their final goodbye and then returned to the stage for the puppet up song but this time they cleverly did it with just their bare hands as puppets.
After the show finished I noticed a few people had souvenir programmes but I couldnt see them for sale anywhere which is weird because usually they try and get everyone to buy them. I bought one and they were only $10 AUD.
I rushed outside and scrambled through the crowd with the hope of catching the puppeteers at the stage door.
I was waiting for about 10 minutes in the wrong place before a theatre worker told me to keep walking along this alleyway which was really narrow and long, but at the end I got the surprise of my life, half the puppeteers were standing there talking and waiting for their taxis and some of them saw me and autographed my programme and were talking to me. I asked if Brian was coming out and they said yes.
I was standing around getting more aurographs and I looked behind me and there was Brian Henson! I was quite nervous, I just couldn't believe i was in that situation but I asked him if he would mind signing his autograph and he said sure, and asked if I liked the show and of course I said it was GREAT! and had a very brief talk to him. I was then talking to Victor Yerrid for a while and by that time they all had came out of the stage door and were more than happy to sign their autograph which was really nice of them. I couldn't have expected them to be any nicer, I was a little nervous like I usually am when I'm at stage doors but they made me feel very welcome. They all seemed surprised that I had travelled about an hour and a half to get there.
I wish I could have said more to them or got a photo with them but I didn't think of that, my mind had sortof turned to jelly because I really didn't expect them to even be at the stage door, let alone be so friendly to me. The Taxis started to arrive and I think it was one or 2 per taxi and I saw Brian get in and leave and then it was soon time to go.
If they were doing more than 2 more shows in Sydney I would have gone back to Sydney to say hi again because some seemed interested in photos of my puppets but i didn't come that prepared.
I hope I get to see them again or for this show or a similar show to come to Australia again. If they came back next year id be thrilled!
So if you are thinking of going to one or more of the shows in Melbourne I highly recommend going and if you can try and find out where the stage door is even if you are nervous because they are the friendliest people ever.
