Puppetry Moves to Smaller Houseman Space April 16; Capitol Steps Starts May 8 | Playbill

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News Puppetry Moves to Smaller Houseman Space April 16; Capitol Steps Starts May 8 Puppetry of the Penis, which has been playing to fascinated audiences at the John Houseman Theatre on 42nd Street, will head downstairs to the venue's smaller space and Capitol Steps: When Bush Comes to Shove begins performances on the mainstage May 8.

Puppetry of the Penis, which has been playing to fascinated audiences at the John Houseman Theatre on 42nd Street, will head downstairs to the venue's smaller space and Capitol Steps: When Bush Comes to Shove begins performances on the mainstage May 8.

The final 299-seat mainstage performance of the unique Puppetry of the Penis, in which men bend their genitalia into shapes (it's billed as "genital origami"), will be April 14. The two-hander will move to the 99-seat Houseman Studio Theatre downstairs April 16.

The show currently stars Daniel Lewry and Jim MacGregor. Creators David Friend and Simon Morley played the first months of the show before auditions were held for replacements. Puppetry of the Penis is also currently touring Germany, New Zealand and Canada.

For tickets and information on the show at the John Houseman, 450 West 42nd Street, call (212) 239-6200. Visit the show's website at www.puppetryofthepenis.com.

* Telecharge.com listed Capitol Steps as beginning May 8. The popular satiric revue created by Washington, DC, insiders pokes fun at politics and pop culture. Elaina Newport and Bill Straus penned the show. Eric Krebs is presenting. Producer and Houseman operator Krebs has said he wants to open the Harlem-spiced musical, Little Ham, at the Houseman this fall. For Capitol Steps information, call (212) 239-6200.

*

In September 2000, London's Whitehall Theatre opened Puppetry of the Penis, featuring two Australian men who "manipulate their genitalia into various shapes, objects and landmarks." Described in the show's UK press release as "well endowed," performers Simon Morley and David Friend (nicknamed Simon and Friendly) spend 70 minutes engaging in the ancient Australian art of "genital origami." To the layman, that means they bend, twist and stretch themselves do impressions of such items as the Loch Ness Monster, a hamburger, bow tie, wrist watch, bullfrog, atomic mushroom, windsurfer, wedding ring, sea anemone, slow emerging mollusc, 3-wood golf club and the Eiffel Tower. A video camera and TV monitors help ensure that audiences don't miss a single trick.

After debuting in Melbourne, Puppetry toured Australia, a long and hard journey documented in the film, "Tackle Happy," whose marketing slogan was, "2 Men, 2 Dicks, 2 Much Spare Time." Despite mismanagement early on, Puppetry went on to enjoy a hit run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is where producers David Johnson and Richard Temple caught up with it.

— by Ernio Hernandez
and Kenneth Jones

 
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