Jim Henson's Puppet Improv SKINNYFEST

Think 'Whose Line is it anyway?' but with puppets

Article by Karen Taggart | 14 Aug 2006
The Jim Henson Company is currently celebrating 50 years as an innovative leader of family entertainment, puppetry, animatronics and computer graphics. Loved by fans worldwide, and best known as the creators of the Muppets, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock, their renowned puppeteers are coming to the Edinburgh Festival to bring us two new improvisation shows – one for children, and the other strictly adults only.

The kids show is family orientated, providing a uniquely wonderful show full of the irreverence and silliness that you'd expect from the Jim Henson Company, and the improvisation element of the show provides more scope for fun and anarchy suitable for all ages.

The adults only show is a demonstration of what happens when the perilous and provocative forms of traditional improvisation are mixed with a bunch of uninhibited comedy characters. Think 'Whose Line is it anyway?' but with puppets, promising to be a riotous affair, fuelled by outrageous suggestions from the audience. Past performances have included a human sacrifice by the Church of Scientology and a Filipino girl suffering from overly tight knickers. One reason the show is so impressive is because the talented performers not only have to figure out what to say, but also how to represent it physically through the puppets, bringing the improvisation experience to a whole new level. These performers do much more than just swear and move the puppet around – they can switch identities in an instant and make the characters seem so real you begin to forget about the actors underneath.

Produced by Brian Henson (co-chief executive, producer and performer), and hosted and directed by the hilarious and witty Patrick Bristow (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, Friends) both these shows promise to provide the unique madness and hilarity that we've come to expect from the Jim Henson Company, and with the added unpredictable, unrehearsed factor, these shows are definitely not to be missed! If you're looking for side splitting, laugh out load entertainment you'd better grab your tickets fast – this is a guaranteed sell out.
Assembly @ Assembly Hall (Mound Place) 4 - 20 August, 20.40,£15.00 - £20 adult show, £10.00 - £14.50 kids show. The Jim Henson Muppet Company and Marshall Cordell. http://www.assemblyrooms.com