Latest news with #FraggleRock
Malaysian Reserve
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malaysian Reserve
UNCENSORED RETURNS! TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR 14 PERFORMANCES AT THE KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE WITH SPECIAL VIP COCKTAIL PARTY EXPERIENCE JULY 16-27 2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Henson Alternative's Puppet Up! – Uncensored returns this summer for 14 hysterical performances of adult comedy, puppet hijinks, and surprises at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Tickets are on sale now for all performances: Wednesday, July 16th at 8pm, Thursday, July 17th at 8pm, Friday, July 18th at 8pm, Saturday, July 19th at 4pm and 8pm, Sunday, July 20th at 3pm and 7pm, Wednesday, July 23rd at 8pm, Thursday, July 24th at 8pm, Friday, July 25th at 8pm, Saturday, July 26th at 4pm and 8pm, and Sunday, July 27th at 3pm and 7pm. Buy tickets here: Available tickets include General Admission ($75) and VIP tickets ($150). VIP guests will have priority seating and access to an all-new pre-show cocktail party experience where they can mix and mingle with puppets and puppeteers featured in the show, take photos with iconic Henson characters from Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and Fraggle Rock, and enjoy an exclusive behind-the-scenes conversation with legendary puppeteer and show creator Brian Henson. Co-created by award-winning director and producer Brian Henson (Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island), and the production's director and host Patrick Bristow (Ellen, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Puppet Up! – Uncensored is never the same show twice, effortlessly blending increasingly unhinged feats of improv comedy with the unparalleled skill and originality of Henson puppeteers. Based on suggestions from the audience, the puppet mayhem – starring the unforgettable Miskreant puppets – showcases both the improvised puppet action projected live on screens above the stage, and the puppeteers racing around below in full view of the audience to bring it all to life. Performances also include recreations of classic pieces by Jim and Jane Henson that have not been performed for audiences in decades. Puppet Up! – Uncensored is not recommended for anyone under 16 and anyone under 14 will not be admitted. ABOUT HENSON ALTERNATIVEHenson Alternative is The Jim Henson Company's label for content created specifically and exclusively for adult audiences. In 1955, Jim Henson's first television production 'Sam & Friends' appeared on late-night television as a lead-in to 'The Tonight Show,' establishing a standard in the Company's work for irreverent, creative, comedy projects that spoke to adults. Appearances on 'The Jimmy Dean Show,' 'The Ed Sullivan Show,' and 'Saturday Night Live,' as well as numerous short films for clients like IBM and AT&T, proved that Henson puppetry was not limited to children. Today, Henson Alternative continues to produce and develop projects for this audience. Credits include 'The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell' (Netflix), 'The Happytime Murders' (STX), 'No, You Shut Up!' (Fusion), 'Neil's Puppet Dreams' (Nerdist), 'Tinseltown' (Logo), and 'Puppet Up! – Uncensored' (a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 'Best Stage Shows' by Entertainment Weekly). The Miskreant Puppets are the motley troupe of puppets featured in many Henson Alternative productions like 'The Happytime Murders,' 'Puppet Up! – Uncensored,' and 'No, You Shut Up!' as well as Coldplay's recent music video 'Biutyful.' ABOUT WESTBETH ENTERTAINMENTFor over 40 years WBE has consistently delivered critically acclaimed, financially successful, and groundbreaking productions that have made artists and audiences' dreams come true. Beginning as The Westbeth Theatre Center and morphing into Westbeth Entertainment, developing and introducing artists and talent to North American audiences have been a big part of Westbeth's history. From Billy Connolly to Eddie Izzard to Eric Idle, Sandra Bernhard to John Leguizamo to The Jim Henson Company, and Margaret Cho to Trevor Noah to Noel Fielding, WBE has been the creative catalyst, partner, and producer of some of the most innovative performances and productions on the continent in iconic venues, such as Madison Square Garden, The Hollywood Bowl, Toronto's Massey Hall, The Chicago Theatre, Radio City Music Hall, and many others. Our journey with Ray Davies began in 1996 at the Westbeth Theatre Center with the debut of his one person show Twentieth Century Man. This show eventually developed into the West End hit, Sunny Afternoon, which just made its North American debut.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
HENSON ALTERNATIVE'S PUPPET UP! - UNCENSORED RETURNS! TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR 14 PERFORMANCES AT THE KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE WITH SPECIAL VIP COCKTAIL PARTY EXPERIENCE JULY 16-27 2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Henson Alternative's Puppet Up! – Uncensored returns this summer for 14 hysterical performances of adult comedy, puppet hijinks, and surprises at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Tickets are on sale now for all performances: Wednesday, July 16th at 8pm, Thursday, July 17th at 8pm, Friday, July 18th at 8pm, Saturday, July 19th at 4pm and 8pm, Sunday, July 20th at 3pm and 7pm, Wednesday, July 23rd at 8pm, Thursday, July 24th at 8pm, Friday, July 25th at 8pm, Saturday, July 26th at 4pm and 8pm, and Sunday, July 27th at 3pm and 7pm. Buy tickets here: Available tickets include General Admission ($75) and VIP tickets ($150). VIP guests will have priority seating and access to an all-new pre-show cocktail party experience where they can mix and mingle with puppets and puppeteers featured in the show, take photos with iconic Henson characters from Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and Fraggle Rock, and enjoy an exclusive behind-the-scenes conversation with legendary puppeteer and show creator Brian Henson. Co-created by award-winning director and producer Brian Henson (Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island), and the production's director and host Patrick Bristow (Ellen, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Puppet Up! – Uncensored is never the same show twice, effortlessly blending increasingly unhinged feats of improv comedy with the unparalleled skill and originality of Henson puppeteers. Based on suggestions from the audience, the puppet mayhem – starring the unforgettable Miskreant puppets – showcases both the improvised puppet action projected live on screens above the stage, and the puppeteers racing around below in full view of the audience to bring it all to life. Performances also include recreations of classic pieces by Jim and Jane Henson that have not been performed for audiences in decades. Puppet Up! – Uncensored is not recommended for anyone under 16 and anyone under 14 will not be admitted. ABOUT HENSON ALTERNATIVEHenson Alternative is The Jim Henson Company's label for content created specifically and exclusively for adult audiences. In 1955, Jim Henson's first television production "Sam & Friends" appeared on late-night television as a lead-in to "The Tonight Show," establishing a standard in the Company's work for irreverent, creative, comedy projects that spoke to adults. Appearances on "The Jimmy Dean Show," "The Ed Sullivan Show," and "Saturday Night Live," as well as numerous short films for clients like IBM and AT&T, proved that Henson puppetry was not limited to children. Today, Henson Alternative continues to produce and develop projects for this audience. Credits include "The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell" (Netflix), "The Happytime Murders" (STX), "No, You Shut Up!" (Fusion), "Neil's Puppet Dreams" (Nerdist), "Tinseltown" (Logo), and "Puppet Up! – Uncensored" (a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 "Best Stage Shows" by Entertainment Weekly). The Miskreant Puppets are the motley troupe of puppets featured in many Henson Alternative productions like "The Happytime Murders," "Puppet Up! – Uncensored," and "No, You Shut Up!" as well as Coldplay's recent music video "Biutyful." ABOUT WESTBETH ENTERTAINMENTFor over 40 years WBE has consistently delivered critically acclaimed, financially successful, and groundbreaking productions that have made artists and audiences' dreams come true. Beginning as The Westbeth Theatre Center and morphing into Westbeth Entertainment, developing and introducing artists and talent to North American audiences have been a big part of Westbeth's history. From Billy Connolly to Eddie Izzard to Eric Idle, Sandra Bernhard to John Leguizamo to The Jim Henson Company, and Margaret Cho to Trevor Noah to Noel Fielding, WBE has been the creative catalyst, partner, and producer of some of the most innovative performances and productions on the continent in iconic venues, such as Madison Square Garden, The Hollywood Bowl, Toronto's Massey Hall, The Chicago Theatre, Radio City Music Hall, and many others. Our journey with Ray Davies began in 1996 at the Westbeth Theatre Center with the debut of his one person show Twentieth Century Man. This show eventually developed into the West End hit, Sunny Afternoon, which just made its North American debut. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The Jim Henson Company
Irish Examiner
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Colm O'Regan: I've dreamt up the ultimate TV mash-up, an apocalyptic muppet show
There is nothing more boring than listening to someone else describe their dream. But stick with me because we could both make a lot of money out of it. I think I've dreamt the ultimate TV mash-up I was in the award-winning show 'Silo' and being chased by armed guards up a back stairs. (The basic premise of Silo is that there has been some sort of chemical/nuclear apocalypse and what's left of humanity has to live in a giant vertical underground city and there are LOTS of stairs.) But between the levels, in the basement of every floor, as I was being chased, I spotted …DOOZERS. Yes! The tiny little muppets from Fraggle Rock. They built delicate structures made out of radishes. The Fraggles would then eat them. In one episode, Mokey Fraggle persuades the Fraggles to stop eating the Doozers' buildings as it is unfair on them. But then the Doozers keep building until there is no room left to build any more. It turns out they need the Fraggles. There's a pHD to be written about the symbiotic relationship between the Doozers and the Fraggles. But I don't have time for that because I need to work on getting Apple TV to pay for my new show post-apocalyptic muppet show called Silo Rock. I'm not the first to dream up a stone-cold classic. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Paul McCartney's Yesterday are well documented. But also, James Cameron said he came up with the character of the Terminator during a fever dream he had on the set of 'Piranah 2: The Spawning. Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote Kubla Khan after a dream while out of his bin on opium. And he would have finished it earlier, only someone visited him and interrupted him while he was trying to remember his dream. Which is a lesson to all of you. Don't interrupt me when I'm describing my dream. It could end up on the Leaving Cert Course. I think I'm most impressed by Giuseppi Tartini, who composed a Violin Sonata in G minor – nearly 17 minutes long – because he dreamt the devil played it to him in a dream. And what's more, he felt he could never get it as good as what the devil played him, and it threatened to drive him insane if he continued to search for it. I'm not saying he made that up, but that's the kind of origin story for a piece of music that sets it apart from other violin sonatas that might have been on the go at that time. Dreams inspire many other diverse works. 'Tintin in Tibet' is often said to be the finest of the Tintin books and was the result of nightmares Herge was having that he was having about trying to stay married and also have a mistress. Do not try this at home. The guitar riff in the Rolling Stones satisfaction, the Periodic Table, benzene, the sewing machine -which together all sound like elements in a particularly mad dream- all are said to owe their existence to dreams. The one that resonates with me the most is Mark Benioff of Salesforce dreaming up a software interface. He has possibly the most matter-of-fact description of a dream ever. 'I could see this app that looked like Amazon and it said 'Contacts', 'Accounts', 'Opportunities', 'Forecast Reports', as tabs.' A younger me would have rolled their eyes at this. But as most of my non-Silo Rock dreams are purely about admin, I can identify. I once had a dream where I put on a wash that was only half full, and just after I pressed start, found a whole other bag of laundry. Dr Frankenstein never did anything as nightmarish.
Daily Mirror
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I worked on The Muppets and Sesame Street - there's one children's show today that I love'
You might not recognise her name, but you'll know her work as we talk to award-winning children's television writer and producer Jocelyn Stevenson, the creative behind The Muppets and Sesame Street The name Jocelyn Stevenson might not be instantly recognisable but the iconic children's TV shows she helped to create are a different matter. From Pingu to Barney and Friends and The Magic School Bus to Sesame Street, the acclaimed writer and producer began her career Stateside, when she was employed by legendary puppeteer Jim Henson to write several Muppets-based children's books. Jocelyn went onto co-create Fraggle Rock for Henson and other UK TV shows she had a hand in include Funny Bones, Bob the Builder and Thomas & Friends. In 2015, the British-American received a BAFTA Special Award for her outstanding contribution to children's media and back across the pond, she is an Emmy Award winner too. Now, the talented writer, who was born in Chicago and lives in the UK, has authored her own pair of children's books with the first, The Waterubas: Book 1, currently on sale. "I wanted a big idea and what could be bigger than water, which connects everything?" said Jocelyn, who turned to an old friend, Brian Froud, to bring her characters to life. "Waterubas aren't creatures that live in the water, they are water – huge difference! Kids will go with you where grown ups never would." To celebrate the book's release, The Mirror sat down with the esteemed producer to chat all things Jim Henson and find out her view on children's television today... Jim Henson Jocelyn calls her former boss and mentor Henson, who died unexpectedly of pneumonia in 1990 at the age of 53, 'a creative mentor' and 'a genius'. "He was my mate," she added. "He was supportive and he was funny. "He'd watch something that we just made and he'd be staring at the screen and then he'd go: 'That's so goofy it's worthy of us'. He was magic. I remember having a discussion with him about some idea I had and he just said to me: 'Why are you trying to go to the Moon? If you shoot for Jupiter then you'll get on the Moon'. "It's just that kind of creative leadership he had. He was also really good at putting people together who didn't have any idea why they were together, and then suddenly you'd start working together and go ohhhh... He was the most extraordinary person and also he was a person who was the CEO of the company but he was a creative and that was huge. "One time out of frustration I said to him: 'Why do you never tell us we've done a good job?'," Jocelyn added. "He said: 'Why do I need to do that? Of course you're doing a good job otherwise you wouldn't be here'." Fraggle Rock The hit musical fantasy comedy series Fraggle Rock featured interconnected societies of Muppet creatures, most notably the Fraggles themselves. "Jim, being Jim Henson, had said: 'I think we need to design a show that'll help stop war' to the small team of us who were developing it," Jocelyn smiled. "I mean who thinks like that? Geri Jewell who was working on it too, he'd been the head writer of The Muppet Show and an old colleague of Jim's, he joked: 'Do you want that by Thursday?' But it informed everything. This whole idea of these three species who didn't know anything about each other but they lived in the same world. "Sesame Street was very American, set on a New York street, while in Fraggle Rock there would be that little bit at the beginning which in the UK was Doc and Sprocket (the elderly inventor and his canine best friend). It was different in every country and then the middle bit which was the bulk of the show would be puppets, which would be easy to dub." The Magic School Bus The incredible popularity of many of the kids' TV shows Jocelyn worked on means people still come up to her saying: "You were my childhood". One such iconic series was The Magic School Bus, an animated series which sees an eccentric teacher take her class on incredible educational field trips. "If the kids were learning about plants the school bus would shrink and they'd go inside a plant," recalled the writer, who adapted the script from the book series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. "When we did the reboot for Netflix (in 2017), voiced by Lily Tomlin, we were getting in touch with scientists and they'd say: 'Wait a minute - The Magic School Bus? I'm a scientist because of The Magic School Bus!' "We had no idea how big it was at the time and it's so exciting. It's that kind of influence you realise that this kind of work can have." The perfect programme "There's no magic formula for creating a successful kids' TV show," Jocelyn explained. "Executives think there is and that can sometimes be based on previous success. "What do kids need? That's the question that I always ask. What is this program trying to say to kids? Is it just trying to sell toys? "I really understand we have to make money in order to make our shows but Jim Henson used to say: 'If you do good work the money will come'. When I worked on Sesame Street back in 1973, that's when it was quite new and they were still trying to figure out if TV could actually educate children. "Everything was researched - what is it that kids need? It's all that thinking I like to see behind something. Is it authentic? Is it not derivative, is it something different? That's hard." And when it comes to watching children's television today, Jocelyn has one key rule. "I don't trust myself to judge a TV show for kids on my own," she said. "My granddaughter, who is now about 10, used to live down the road from us and I would watch TV with her and it made all the difference. "It was with her that I first watched Peppa Pig and realised how good Peppa Pig was. I like programmes like Bluey that break expectations." The Waterubas "I started reading to my kids when they were three months old," said Jocelyn. "They've grown up and are readers and their kids are readers. I just think it's really important." The writer penned Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock books as well as annuals for The Muppet Show. In 1988 she wrote a book called O Diddy, written by an imaginary friend whose human had stopped seeing him and her second original book is The Waterubas. Made up of 99 per cent water and 1 per cent Ruba, each Wateruba has its own special colour and sings in its own special tone. There are 81 Waterubas, who can be hard to spot because they never stop moving and came to Earth together on an asteroid four billion years ago. Iriam is the book's main character and has the ability to "puddle-jump", meaning she can travel at speed as water to a Wateruba anywhere on the planet. As the 11-year-old schoolgirl transitions from a puddle to a cloud and from a raindrop to an ice-cube, she learns fears are carried in the stories we tell ourselves - and that crucially, we can rewrite them.
Telegraph
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Muppet Show mogul's widow and girlfriend at war over £7m fortune
The widow and girlfriend of the TV mogul who helped bring The Muppet Show to the UK have gone to court over his fortune. Justin Bodle died in July 2019 from a brain haemorrhage while on holiday in the south of France with his long-term partner Lucinda Bodle. He was 58 years old. Bodle, who played a key role in licensing the TV rights to The Muppet Show in the UK and produced 2007 disaster movie Flood as well as other films, left an estate initially valued at £29 million – comprising assets including a Chelsea townhouse, his French villa and a stately home in Kent. But after expenses and tax, that figure was cut to £7.1 million when Kinga Hazai, his estranged wife and executor, applied for probate in 2021 of his will, written in 2013, that left her everything. Ms Bodle, the mother of two of his children who changed her name to match his by deed poll, is now applying for a multi-million pound payout from his estate as 'reasonable provision' to provide for herself and their children. But Ms Hazai, by whom he has an adult daughter Elsa, said there is not enough of the fortune left, claiming it has shrunk further with only £320,674 to be distributed, as a result of the money owed by the estate, administration expenses and other payouts. A further £1million has been held back in case of possible claims by other people against the estate, she has claimed. The two women will argue their case in court, with Ms Bodle's lawyers demanding reports on how the money was spent and an explanation as to why his former home was sold for less than its original valuation. Edward Hewitt, Ms Bodle's barrister, claimed the will 'did not reflect his testamentary wishes' as it was drawn up before their children were born and some years before he asked her to marry him. He said: 'Justin and Lucinda had been in a relationship for just under six years at the date of his death and had two children together.' Mr Hewitt also claimed Bodle and Ms Hazai were in the middle of divorcing when he died. But Ms Hazai, 55, claimed that Ms Bodle, 38, was mistaken about the extent of her partner's fortune, insisting his financial affairs were left in 'an almighty mess' when he died. Bodle, hailed by colleagues as a 'born dealmaker', started out selling advertising space after a spell in the Army before going on to forge a career as a media negotiator and then producer. In 1987, he created the first 'barter deal' for The Muppet Show in Europe and was also involved in Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock. Later, he founded his own company, Power Television, producing dramas such as Henry VIII with Ray Winstone. He acquired his iconic Grade-I listed stately mansion Groombridge Place, a 17th century moated manor house set in 200 acres near Tunbridge Wells, in 2001. The redbrick Jacobean stately home has been used as a location for period movies including The Draughtsman's Contract and the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. After buying it, Bodle transformed it into his family home, as well as a mini theme park, complete with pirate ship and mermaid adventures. Ms Bodle, who previously earned £38,000-a-year as an executive assistant for her partner, wants £1.6 million to cover her and her children's housing needs, plus enough money to invest and generate an income of £9,497 per month. 'There can be no doubt that Lucinda has a very strong claim for reasonable financial provision from Justin's estate,' Mr Hewitt said. 'Indeed, Kinga has admitted as much in open correspondence. The only issue between the parties is therefore how much Lucinda should receive. 'Her financial security and that of her and Justin's two young children depends on the outcome of this claim.' The case will return to court at a later date.
