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\nThis is no ordinary puppet show. Puppet Up!\u00a0is a night of outrageous, off-the-cuff comedy for adults …\u00a0featuring 80 of the MISKREANT puppets brought to life by a cast of world-class puppeteers from The Jim Henson<\/a> Company. Created by legendary puppeteer and award-winning director Brian Henson<\/a> and directed by Patrick Bristow<\/a> (\u201cEllen,\u201d \u201cSeinfeld,\u201d \u201cCurb Your Enthusiasm,\u201d \u201cWhose Line Is It Anyway?\u201d),\u00a0Puppet Up!\u00a0is never the same show twice.
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\nBased on suggestions from the audience, Patrick and his team of expert puppeteers create a hilarious two-shows-in-one: the improvised puppet action projected live on screens above the stage, with the puppeteers racing around below in full view of the audience. The show also features recreations of classic pieces originally created by Jim and Jane Henson, and Frank Oz<\/a>, that haven\u2019t been seen by live audiences in decades.
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\nFor over twenty years,\u00a0Puppet Up!\u00a0has toured around the world, spinning top-notch improv comedy and a motley crew of Jim Henson<\/a> puppets into comedy gold. The show has been acclaimed by critics and beloved by adult audiences at the\u00a0Edinburgh Fringe Festival, San Francisco Sketch Fest Comedy Festival,\u00a0and\u00a0Melbourne International Comedy Festival,\u00a0as well as audiences in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, and more.
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\nBrian Henson<\/a> said to the\u00a0Times, \u201cWe were trying to find some other really funny tones for puppetry that sort of differentiated from the Muppet tone and sensibility [led us to try new things.] My dad was a great ad-libber; Frank Oz<\/a> is a great ad-libber, and that always pluses up the comedy.\u201d\u00a0
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\nHenson went to a Groundlings show, and suddenly everything clicked. \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be great if we could teach the puppeteers to do the magic ad-libbing? And director Patrick Bristow<\/a> was right that as soon as you added a live audience, it sort of upped the stress level of the performers and sharpened up the comedy and sharpened up the entertainment value.\u201d<\/p>\n
Performances will run July 31 – August 9th at the\u00a0The Ricardo Montalb\u00e1n Theatre, located at 1615 Vine St, Hollywood, CA. Tickets can be purchased at the Puppet Up website. Ticket prices start at $49.00. The show is recommended for age 16 and up (under 16 are not admitted). \u00a0<\/p>\n
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\ud83c\udfad NEW! Los Angeles Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n
\n 2026 Theater Fans’ Choice Awards – Live Stats\n <\/p>\n \n Best Sound Design – Top 3\n <\/p>\n \n 1.<\/strong> \n 36.2% of votes\n <\/p>\n \n 2.<\/strong> \n 10.9% of votes\n <\/p>\n \n 3.<\/strong> \n 7.2% of votes\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n ![\"Theater](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778633176_679_CHOICEAWARDS-1777549390.png\")
\n <\/a><\/p>\n
\n Adam Fisher – The Lost Boys <\/p>\n
\n Tony Gayle – Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) <\/p>\n
\n Kai Harada – Ragtime <\/p>\n