Conrad Koch brings the ‘Puppet Power' with hilarious new show

News24

04-07-2025

In the queue to one of Conrad Koch's sold-out shows at the National Arts Festival were audience members, young and old. With his new show, Puppet Power, the comedian and puppeteer's routine walks a fine line between mature political commentary and rapid-fire puns.
While the adults in the audience might get big laughs from Koch's main puppet, Chester Missing's political riffs, the younger people might have more appreciation for characters like Gunter the mosquito or Hilton the ostrich (who's also a bit of a bully).
There's basically something for everyone in the show, and Koch makes sure the audience feels involved by making the show interactive.
In this high-energy show, Koch's first puppet segment is with Chester Missing. He hilariously unpacks Cyril Ramaphosa and company's visit to the White House earlier this year and the SA 'refugees' who went to the US upon Donald Trump's invitation. He also goes into the GNU with jokes for several of SA's political parties.
The overall point in the first segment is that 'everyone is a puppet,' especially those in power. Everyone is being influenced in some way or bending to someone else's will.
After that, the show pivots into more silly territory, with an open mic set by Gunter the mosquito, who delivers puns about being an insect. Koch fires off the jokes almost at a blink-and-you'll-miss-it rate. He also brings out his other beloved character, the Afrikaans teacher Mr Dixon, who is one of the show's highlights.
Towards the end, Koch has a funny segment with DJ Hoodie, where all the punchlines are excerpts from various pop songs. He ends the show by calling up a member of the audience and putting a dinosaur costume on them, turning them into a puppet, too.
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Puppet Power provides a solid hour of entertainment and genuine laughs, mostly hitting all the right notes.
Koch says that with Puppet Power, he is aiming for a particular type of tone.
'What I mean by that is that it's fun, it's family accessible, it's politically progressive, but not shouty about it. So, everyone can come and enjoy the show, but there's a particular politics coming out of it,' he says.
'The core factor is having fun and creating a shared space where South Africans can laugh together,' Koch adds.
'The concept of Puppet Power is that we have the power to push back against the fact that we are being controlled by the media, by social media influencers, etc.'
In terms of making the show more fun for families, Koch says:
'I want parents to be able to bring their 12-year-old to the show. They won't get the political jokes, some will, but they generally won't, but they'll enjoy the rest of the show.'
'There are dad jokes, there are characters, someone's parent is going to become a dinosaur. Creating that fun environment is something I am aiming to do.'