‘Puppet Up!' Builds A New Future Away From The Jim Henson Company Lot

Forbes

07-07-2025

Producer/director Brian Henson poses with the puppets from Henson Alternative's 'Puppet Up! – ... More Uncensored' comedy puppet show at The Jim Henson Company on March 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
In 2017, the Jim Henson Company opened the gates to the hallowed and historic Hollywood studio lot for the first time to stage their renowned live stage show, Puppet Up! – Uncensored, on the lot for one night only.
A resounding success, what was celebrated as "a Willy Wonka moment" became a regular thing. Now, the critically-acclaimed and internationally-renowned production has a new home at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in West LA's Culver City.
"We did a show years ago at the Kirk Douglas and I have to say it's the best audience arrangement for our show of any venue we've ever played," enthuses Brian Henson, Chairman of The Jim Henson Company and an award-winning director, producer, and writer for film and television. "When we do it on the lot, it's a big flat floor set up like an awards show night, with tables and chairs, and we have big screens, so there is never a bad seat in the house. However, you are a little further away from the puppeteers; if you're trying to watch what the puppeteers are doing, it's harder."
"We call it two shows in one because one show is on the monitor and the other is watching the puppeteers and watching how we do what we do, which is a unique and fun experience for the audience. It doesn't feel crowded, and yet everyone is close. I can see everybody's expression in the room, and it's an intimate party atmosphere where everyone has a great view. It's a super exciting venue. It's exciting to bring the show back there now, when we know we have a much stronger show than we did back then."
A New Beginning For 'Puppet Up!'
In late 2024, the Henson lot, initially built by Charlie Chaplin in the late 1910s as his first film studio, was sold to McG, the director of Charlie's Angels and Terminator Salvation, and singer-songwriter John Mayer.
"John's running the music side, McG has got his production companies, and they're doing a lot of renovation to the lot right now. I don't think we'd be coming back to the lot, because the highlight was giving people a tour of that finished in my office that was Charlie Chaplin's," Henson reveals. "I can't do that when it's not my office. I will also say, honestly, it was always a wonderful place to do the show, but I think the audience experience of the show will be significantly better at the Kirk Douglas."
Looking to the future, director Patrick Bristow is particularly excited about the opportunity the show's new home offers. Puppet Up! – Uncensored has 14 hysterical performances scheduled this summer from Wednesday, July 16, 2025, to Sunday, July 27, 2025. Tickets for the shows, which are not suitable for anyone under 16, are available now.
"LA is our sweet spot and we find the people that are looking for something different, not just a national touring company of something they heard about," he explains. "They're trying to find that thing that has got a little bit of a cool, slightly underground feel, and even though we've been around forever, we still have that. Another thing that pumped things up was doing them on the actual Henson lot. That grew the show because people were interested in seeing it there."
MC and director Patrick Bristow on stage during 'Puppet Up! – Uncensored.'
Bristow, who audiences will recognize from films and TV shows such as Ellen, Showgirls, The Morning Show, and Friends, is also the MC of Puppet Up!.
"The audience participates only when they're allowed to," Henson explains. "Patrick is very precise and is like, 'This is when I want a suggestion from you. This is when I want somebody to come up from the audience.' We occasionally involve people from the audience, but we do it in a way that's not intimidating at all. If somebody doesn't want to come on stage, they don't have to."
"I feel like we're in a not very rowdy period in American culture. I think people are a little scared to be in public, quite frankly. We don't have that comfort and confidence that people had 15 or 20 years ago in a crowd. Now, everybody's just a little bit reticent, so the suggestions are excellent, but it does sometimes take a little bit in the show to get people to loosen up and appreciate that they're in a safe space. There have been times in the past where they didn't need any loosening up at all, and you would get in and be overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and rowdiness of the audience."
Bristow continues, "Occasionally, there are times where people have no filter, and they'll say something that even they don't want to see. They want to be able to say it out loud in the group and have audible gasps around them, and maybe watch me squirm a little bit. If anything smacks of punching or if something is a politically sensitive issue, I'll try not to take that one without acknowledging the person who made the suggestion. So, even though it's uncensored, I try to walk the line to ensure this is a great experience for everyone who comes out. It should be escapism."
(Left to right) Puppeteers Michael Oosterom, Ted Michaels, Colleen Smith, director and host Patrick ... More Bristow, creator/producer Brian Henson, puppeteers Grant Baciocco, Peggy Etra and Tyler Bunch attend Brian Henson presents 'Puppet Up! - Uncensored' at The Venetian Las Vegas on July 29, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
How And Why The Audience Is So Important To 'Puppet Up!'
So, once you're at the show and you're having a good time, how do you find yourself on stage?
"One thing that has changed over the years is that more people are aware that this is going to happen, and there are people who come there wanting to be picked. That person rarely does themselves, or the show, a service by getting chosen," Bristow warns. "When I'm looking for people, I'm not looking for the people that are looking at me, like, 'If you come over here, I will kill you,' and with the people that are chomping at the bit, I'm like, 'Okay, no, that's scaring me a little bit. What's going on here?' I try to find that person who looks a little uncomfortable, and then they invariably have a great time. We celebrate them. We don't just use them as a prop."
Henson adds, "After the show, anybody who was invited on stage is always so happy. They take photographs of themselves with the cast and all of that, and it's always a good experience, so it's not something to be scared of, and not something that anybody would have to do if they didn't want to."
The Company of 'Puppet Up! - Uncensored.'
In addition to standard tickets, a VIP behind-the-scenes experience is available for fans of the show and the Henson family legacy.
"VIP ticket holders come early to the show and then they're invited up to a special area, which is a big rehearsal space in the theater that will be all decked out," Henson enthuses. "We're going to have Dark Crystal creatures there for people to take pictures with. We're going to have characters from Labyrinth and other things that people know, so the big plus is you get to see some real historic characters and be able to get up close to them and get pictures with them."
"We're also inviting a lot of the cast so that people can meet and talk to the people they're about to watch on stage. I'm also going to spend time with everybody then, answer questions, tell stupid stories, and we've also got stuff to give away."
Due to the show's improv style, Puppet Up! – Uncensored is never the same show twice. However, audiences attending the run of performances at the Kirk Douglas are guaranteed to see something new, even amongst the recreations of classic Jim Henson sequences.
"We have quite a few things we've developed over the last year," Henson concludes. "Some of them are reenactments of pieces that my dad, Jim, created years ago, some are new structures that we've created that are great. I think everything has been on stage at least once, so I don't think we have any brand-new segments for this run. However, we have quite a few segments that we've used a whole lot and have barely been on stage. I promise that anybody who comes will see something there they haven't seen before."