Q+A: ‘Puppet Up!’ host Patrick Bristow reflects on start of unscripted shows at The Venetian
The new show PUPPET UP! UNCENSORED at The Venetian is one of the most unique improv productions to ever hit the Strip. Host and co-creator Patrick Bristow and his cast of six puppeteers have audiences doubled over howling with laughter at the unscripted, unrehearsed nightly show.
Every evening, it’s a different show because the puppeteers and Patrick don’t have a clue what scenarios the audience will shout out. In our city of late-night shenanigans, many of those ribald suggestions center on sex, alcohol and partying. To say this is outrageous, freewheeling comedy is an understatement.
PUPPET UP! is an extraordinary two shows in one to watch, the live action at center stage with puppeteers standing there with their right arms up in the air holding one of the Brian Henson puppets. Or watching the artful action on one of two giant screens where the master marionette manipulators are out of camera shot.
It appears just like the televised Muppets and Sesame Street characters that Brian’s late dad, Jim Henson, produced for years. There are two tributes in the show to Jim with technology re-creating signature pieces and the use of a multipicture camera that doubles and triples individual shots of one performer and puppet as they react to themselves. It has to be seen to be believed.
PUPPET UP! presents a unique challenge for the puppeteers as they have to instantly select a puppet from the 60 or so unruly characters sitting on a stage deck to match whatever spontaneous comedy routine they create. And Patrick is the madcap ringmaster of this festival of fun.
It’s his assignment to keep the puppets and puppeteers in line and focus and within the bounds of decency — and not even come close to repeating from one night to the next whatever scenario gets called out by exuberant audiences.
PUPPET UP! came to Las Vegas from a Los Angeles run after appearances at fringe festivals and comedy gatherings around the world. It’s the first time they are calling a city home, and Las Vegas couldn’t have been a more unique resident destination.
In our new editorial feature, we ask cast or crew to review their own premieres, so we invited Patrick for his insights. He has penned his thoughts from the first shows, letting the marionettes and masters settle in to their new home on the Strip.
Here’s Patrick:
Over the years, I’ve hosted the show all over the world. Sometimes I’ve had to really coax audiences to give us suggestions for the improvs. Not so much in Las Vegas! If anything, our audiences at The Venetian are 100 percent down with shouting out their ideas for the improvs.
In fact, when we were in Canada, I had to actually tell them to “shout it out, loud and proud!” because they were raising their hands when I’d ask for a suggestion. I’ve removed that part of my MC duties for the Las Vegas run. No need at all. It’s great.
We’ve found that no matter whether the audience is mostly locals or out-of-towners, they love Las Vegas-centric suggestions, so we’ve all boned up on local references. It’s gonna be fun to see what each audience collectively thinks is worthy of being celebrated or skewered by our satirically sharp cast.
Kids, kids, kids! In a few of our early previews, some kids clearly under 16 were in the audiences. It can make the adults seated near them feel self-conscious about laughing at risqué material.
Luckily, the gatekeepers seem to be on point now, and we’re able to let it rip without fear of warping young minds. We can focus on warping old minds. Which, judging by our audiences thus far, are already pretty warped.
Drunks, drunks, drunks! A lot of our audiences come in primed, shall we say? And that’s great. They’re loose and ready to have a good time. We did have one situation where someone probably needed to be cut off by their bartender a couple hours prior to the show. As an improviser myself, an unrelentingly boisterous person is just another challenge to meet.
There is a point where the rest of the audience would like to move on from dealing with that, and we did. Only happened once. So far. If it were to keep on happening, I will have to get drunk before shows so I can communicate on their level. I’m willing to do that if need be. It’s all about our audiences, after all.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised that the vintage Henson routines we do in the show are meeting with such enthusiastic responses. They’re not particularly adult in content and serve as nice palate cleansers from the bluer stuff in the show. It’s really gratifying to see these old pieces play so well after over four decades in mothballs. They’re back and just as good as ever.
One serious concern I had going into the Las Vegas production during such a contentious election year was that our audiences might be split somehow and create a tension for the improvs. So far, audiences have been really nonpolitical and likely wanting to take an hour or so to laugh and forget about the news.
We had one suggestion for a villain who ended up being named Hillary Trump. Both sides got a little poke in the ribs. The cast handled it hilariously. The audience was happy. Win, win. Come visit and play with us! Our puppets are as bad as you want them to be.
Here is my Q+A with Patrick when he first arrived in Las Vegas.
