MuppetsHenson

FEATURING THE PREMIERE OF NEWLY STAGED CLASSIC SKETCHES AND SPECIAL GUESTS

TEN SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AT
THE JIM HENSON COMPANY'S HISTORIC HOLLYWOOD SOUNDSTAGE
JULY 14-16, 2023
JULY 21-23, 2023
Tickets On Sale Now for Upcoming Performances of
Acclaimed Live Comedy Show from Henson Alternative

Henson Alternative's Puppet Up! – Uncensored returns for two outrageous summer weekends of adult comedy, puppet mayhem, and new surprises on The Jim Henson Company's historic lot in Hollywood. Tickets to the acclaimed not-to-be-missed live stage show are on sale now: Friday, July 14th at 8pm, Saturday, July 15th at 5pm & 9pm, Sunday, July 16th at 3pm & 7pm, Friday, July 21st at 8pm, Saturday, July 22nd at 5pm & 9pm, and Sunday, July 23rd at 3pm & 7pm.

Created by award-winning director and producer Brian Henson (Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island), and actor, director, and improv expert 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 anarchy – starring the unforgettable Miskreant puppets - is two shows in one: 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. These performances will also feature new interpretations of classic sketches originally created by Jim Henson that will be making their Puppet Up! – Uncensored debut.

Available tickets include General Admission ($75), and VIP tickets ($175) which include priority seating, a souvenir, and a 90-minute preshow experience with a tour and question & answer with Brian Henson. A limited amount of advance purchase parking is also available for $15.00. Doors open and full cash bar will be available starting an hour before the show. Puppet Up! – Uncensored is not recommended for anyone under 16 and anyone under 14 will not be admitted.

Puppet Up! – Uncensored is following all local health and safety protocols. Vaccination is appreciated but guests will not have to provide proof of vaccination. Facemasks and social distancing are strongly encouraged.

After watching The Muppets Mayhem, one’s viewing experience of The Muppet Movie is improved, that’s a sign of a perfect show. The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance accomplishes the same goal, after watching that show there is no way your viewing experience of The Dark Crystal does not become greatly enhanced for it. Writing Muppets is hard but writing for The Electric Mayhem, that seems especially difficult, finally after 50 years, the band’s been properly fleshed out. One might argue it’s easier to write for them as they were never really fully developed to begin with, after 50 years we all know very well how each character behaves but in limited capacity. Finding that balance of expanding on those set rules is harder than a fan might think, well done to everyone involved, wonderfully executed. I consider this accomplishment to have been almost impossible, not just entertaining Muppet Fans but your casual viewer too using only The Electric Mayhem but clever storytelling allows for this and this was clever storytelling. And their Human co-stars also deserve credit for this, their interactions are like the ones between Kermit and Jenny in The Muppets Take Manhattan, you don’t see that a lot these days, that to me is the perfect way to act alongside these characters, it felt more real than acting. I’d say since Disney bought The Muppets the only production I’ve considered worthy to stand next to the classics is The Muppets (2011) squashed somewhere between Muppet Treasure Island and Muppets From Space. Muppets Mayhem however has that classic Muppet trilogy feel to it. Muppets as themselves, exploring the real world, treated like equals, as in “oh it’s just a living Muppet, no big deal”, it’s perfect, that nostalgic feeling many fans have craved for, that original trilogy and The Muppet Show feeling, this show gives you that, at least it did for me, my neurons can vouch for that.

You know when a review says something is heartfelt, clever, happy, joyful, sometimes words are spoken without true meaning, but here it all applies. There are so many layers to unpack here and what it does to help children, much better than what Sesame Street is doing right now. Fraggle Rock was rebooted in 2022 and like The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance it’s one of those rare reboot gems that was needed to enhance the story not just the bank account. That’s what is meant by heartfelt, it is felt within the stories and messages it conveys so very well. Fraggle Rock the reboot, makes you appreciate the first show even more and The Electric Mayhem does this for their own characters all throughout their Muppet history. It’s not just a TV show, it’s a journey through the mind of Jim Henson and his team and this Muppets Mayhem team are very much connected to that cosmic Jim Henson energy flowing through every single Muppet that is worthy of its performer. Making an album and then releasing that album into the real world, same album seen on the show, how clever, marketing wise but creativity, believability and connection wise too. When they all eat those expired marshmallows and go on their marshmallow trip, so creatively Muppety, I really missed having that feeling from The Muppets. It resembled that of Kermit’s one on one in the desert scene in The Muppet Movie. And when they painted that house whilst singing “Can You Picture That”, that was beautiful, I felt goosepimples. This show opens and informs the viewers that The Electric Mayhem started on The Muppet Show (back in 1975) and have become this hugely popular never ending musical journey tourers they’ve all been on together. Perfect way to start, immediately it all becomes more real in our eyes.

Until recently The Muppets seemed to shy away from their past projects, this one is unique in so many ways but more so for the fact that it truly delves into Muppet history. Rocking Robin, amazing that this was brought back and The Electric Mayhem singing it whilst the original played on screen, double amazing, makes the storytelling experience so much more real and effective. The various Electric Mayhem concerts, all those cool references from Croonchy Stars cereal to Mallory Gallery, even paging Dr. Oznowicz… someone make sure The Muppets get that doctor back, they need him. These days most shows are shit, they fall into the “eager to please and be popular trap” which is a trap in itself but many do not realize this. The team behind Muppets Mayhem are the ones we should be thanking for this cool musical Muppet experience, they understand what The Muppet represent, just like Steve Whitmire and Frank Oz. Let’s never forget these two, they deserve to be back with The Muppets and alongside this Muppet Mayhem quality level of storytelling.

Pepe, Walter, Penny, we need more new Muppets that fit perfectly alongside the old cast, the introduction of Penny is a great start, I already want a Penny action figure. I can’t say the same for that Turkey and that Weasel, what was their names? I don’t even remember, Joe I think was the Weasel, Joe from Legal, yes that’s him and Beverly, they were in there somewhere, still, they didn’t make a classic Muppet impression on me, Penny fits perfectly in a scene alongside Miss Piggy. Dr Teeth’s parents, when the episode ended with them standing at the door, I felt that excitement a “normal” person would feel watching a Human TV Drama and for that I’m so grateful. I was on the edge of my seat, who are these two, next episode please. I would have preferred if one of them had been a different colour, who do they think they are, Milhouse’s parents? Davies the Cactus stood out so much, in just one scene, the Bunnies and singing Teeth were also enjoyable but most especially for me, Zoot’s shoe Jimmy. I especially like how Morgan Freeman reacts to this nonsense, I’ve missed that type of style from The Muppets, it feels very classic. And all those Zoots, probably one of my favourite scenes, so many talented Zoots out there in the world.

I like the balance of Muppets amongst Humans in “It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie”, I would have really enjoyed watching some Penguins also present at the Band’s concerts for example. As for no Kermit, no Miss Piggy, no Gonzo etc… I liked it. I was really expecting for Pepe, Rowlf, Scooter or Walter to show up at some point but I actually like the fact that they didn’t. It made this unique experience even more unique, as in The Electric Mayhem held their own. Asking their viewers to watch for story over easter eggs, very brave, bold and uniquely creative these days in Hollywood. Clifford, I was really expecting Clifford, I miss him, I think his character’s design is really cool, and there’s not many purple Muppets which is a plus. Peter Linz would have made a good purple Clifford I think but since he’s yellow Lips now, it should be someone who does not already perform a character in the band. Statler and Waldorf at the end, perfect timing to introduce familiar faces, there appearance really makes an impact. It’s like bringing you back into the fact that this is a Muppet Universe where Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and the rest of The Muppets are off doing their own things during the events of this show.

As for the classic characters, so well written, very cleverly fleshed out, great backstories, I’ve become more emotionally invested in these characters than I’ve ever been before, simply through storytelling. Tonight, I am going to try to search for Janice’s sister online, I want to reunite them, I’m that invested. Floyd raising Animal, I had never thought about that but when you think about it, this seems to be like the true version that is correct to their storyline. Also, Floyd working at Jerry’s Guitars, as a Muppet Fan, things like that just makes the whole experience even more special, a tribute to Jerry Nelson, what a perfect way to acknowledge him. This reminds me, “Based on Characters By Jim Henson” it’s always nice when that’s included, another thing this show gets right, it respects the past, it’s not ashamed of it. Zoot, for the first time ever I think I know who Zoot is, these characters have been written and fleshed out so well and I would imagine Zoot (and probably Lips) must have been the hardest ones to accomplish this for and both turned out perfect. Lips, I have three Palisades variants of him, every time I used to look at my collection when I had them on display, I wondered, why are you standing there? Who even are you? But now, I truly feel most connected to Lips than any other band member, Janice comes very close. Most of the time when I speak, most people don’t understand what I’m saying, rainbows are visions but for those who do, I feel closest to them. The whole Lips mumbling thing, I didn’t think I was going to like that but it works. As a lifelong Muppet Fan if I didn’t truly know who Lips was after all these years and that change makes sense to me, then I’m sure it also applies for casual viewers too. Makes his past more interesting now if you like to think that the reason he barely ever spoke in the past was because he was embarrassed that nobody could understand him, so he spoke through his trumpet. After all these years thanks to inspiration from The Swedish Chef and Beaker he felt free to be himself and started speaking. Jumbles, mumbles, Mahna-Mahna, he doesn’t care if you don’t understand him, he’s going to speak anyway. I like how in return Lips doesn’t properly understand others either by always bringing the wrong person that’s been asked from him through communication issues.

When Dr Teeth changes the name to “Just The Electric Mayhem”, how powerful, as a kid I remember thinking how unfair that it’s not just called “The Electric Mayhem” so the little kid in me really likes this development, I hope it sticks. Even though Dr Teeth is my favourite Electric Mayhem member, well was, Janice is very high on that list now, I can relate a lot with her. Dr Teeth now sounds more like Dr Teeth than ever before, his use of unique words, I never realized how important that aspect to the character was until I watched this show. This Dr Teeth makes me 100% feel as if Jim Henson is still here sharing himself hidden beneath the doctor. In one episode Dr Teeth’s parents show up, we get a fun story with Dr Teeth meeting Floyd, discovering his passion for music and disobeying his parent’s life plan for him in the dental industry to find himself and be happy with who he is. This is the kind of writing that makes one worthy to write for The Muppets, perfectly exampled by Fraggle Rock (2022) and Age of Resistance (2019). When a child watches this show, any show for that matter, it registers differently in them than it does in adults. They will be more easily lost, inspired and moulded by what they are watching. As they grow up, when life gets harder, when they must fight to discover who they are, silence others and listen to themselves, this little Electric Mayhem story will spark a memory in them and hopefully inspire them to do what’s right for themselves. This show is filled with this type of well-minded-moulding-musical-developing-storylines. It’s very clever if you can find the story hidden within the story, the one that speaks to our subconscious minds… can you picture that?

Janice, reminds me of Mokey and ironically has accomplished the same goal that the Fraggle Rock reboot accomplished with me too. It took a character who was fifth on my list and took them up to first place after the show. When I was little Mokey was my least favourite Fraggle, not including Lips this applied to Janice when it came to The Electric Mayhem. Now as I’ve grown older, I’ve become a spiritual hippie flower girl apparently and for some reason I really relate and like these characters now. Ironically, I’m not even purple, yellow, female, foam, no tail, no guitar skills, yet I can still relate to these characters. I can especially relate to Janice because I too am on a journey of self-healing, so I can write about whoever I want, Boo Disney, Yay Muppets. Floyd Pepper, I liked that he’s always been a bit of a conspiracy theorist, even notable in this show, that’s one wise Muppet. I like how Floyd and Janice’s relationship was handled, like always, their just happy being together, it works for them. Floyd finding the perfect words to ask for Animal’s forgiveness, so moving, very classic Muppet feel to it. Especially connecting it back to their origin story which had been set up a few moments earlier and I was eagerly anticipating at some point. Baby Animal, very enjoyable, the Muppet geek in me thinks “why not pink baby Animal?” The Muppet Fan in me justifies it by thinking this is a slightly older baby Animal after his fur turned red, yep that works for my Muppet mindset. Animal going on his job hunts, the character was handled very well, haven’t seen Animal this good in years, like Zoot and Lips, probably also one of the hardest characters to flesh out properly whilst keeping to their character traits set before. These things make the story more believable, unlike Gonzo’s mother being lost in the jungle or whatever in The Muppets (2015). I like this team of people who have brought this life into The Muppets, they truly understand what they are doing, how Muppets work, it needs more people like that, from the top of my head, I can think of two.

What does all this mean for the future of The Muppets? A Muppet shared-Universe? To me that sounds very interesting, first because it’s a very clever way to expand and reignite The Muppet franchise and also I don’t want to see Kermit, at least not without Steve Whitmire. “Oh shut up about this already, it’s been years” some of you might be saying, to that I say, “shut up yourselves.” I’m not interested in just the puppets; I’m interested in the people who bring these characters to life. When I was little, Steve Whitmire, Frank Oz and Dave Goelz, those were what Star Wars fans might consider their Luke, Hans and Leia. Sadly, Disney failed Star Wars fans but for Muppet fans we’re still in time, I want to see that trio alongside the Muppets Mayhem team bringing The Muppets to life. The Muppet can be such a perfect and special thing, but without Steve Whitmire’s Kermit and Frank Oz’s Miss Piggy alongside the team, it’ll never reach its full potential. I’m a huge Muppet Fan but I haven’t been excited for anything Muppets since 2016, after Steve Whitmire was fired. This new Disney Kermit just takes me out of the illusion that this Muppet world I’m viewing on screen, following year after year, it’s not real anymore because of it, the illusion is broken when the right Kermit is not present. I’m not the only one who feels like this because after seven years all I see in the comments section, specifically on YouTube every time a new Kermit video pops up is how disappointing, bring back Steve Whitmire. This was never a problem before, everybody was happy with Kermit back in 2016, for the fan base, what is broken, what needs to be fixed, wake up Disney, play into the good parts of the story for once. As for Miss Piggy, forget the puppet, Frank Oz is Miss Piggy as long as he’s alive, bring back the original Pig. Who do fans need to smack to get this to happen, Steve Whitmire and Frank Oz, bring them back, brings Kermit and Mis Piggy back.

I love Muppets Mayhem, it’s done for me what the Fraggle Rock reboot and Age of Resistance both accomplished in the past, this is all so magically entertaining. I want more solo Muppet projects but that doesn’t mean I want this Kermit and Miss Piggy problem not to be fixed, this is the most important thing that The Muppets need to accomplish in my opinion. Fix this, keep the exact team you have now and that wish everybody has for more classic nostalgic Muppets back on our TV screens, that’s exactly the moment that will start happening again. Muppets Mayhem shows us how this can be achieved even without Kermit and Miss Piggy but why not just fix everything, it makes the process more fun when what is broken is fixed. I want a Season 2, not so much because I always want more Muppets but rather because I’m invested in this storyline, will Moog and Nora get together? Will Hannah make a deep connection with Zoot or Lips and start dating one of them? Will the guest stars feel pride in what their doing, because it really comes across on screen if they don’t and it was clear here that they were all happy and grateful in their roles, can’t say the same thing for those singing celebrity skulls in Muppets Haunted Mansion. Will Dr Teeth and Penny work out? Will Floyd and Janice adopt a squirrel? Will Clifford make a comeback? Will Trumpet Lady make a cameo? Will The Electric Mayhem go on a Musical Muppet World Rock Tour if they manage to fix their bus? Will Animal join the dark side or the light side? Are we finally getting Electric Mayhem stuffed toys for our Muppet collections? So many questions, so many storylines, as a Muppet Fan I’m excited to see what’s next, haven’t felt like this when it comes to The Muppets in a long time.

Muppets Mayhem is pure Electric Mayhem.

Menu

Friday, March 29, 2024

Fraggle Rock Back To The Rock - Season 2 on Apple TV+ begins Streaming TODAY!!

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Amazon MGM Studios and The Jim Henson Company to Develop Series Based on Brian & Wendy Froud’s Faeries

Disney+ Ends The Muppets Mayhem After One Season

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Upcoming Performances of Henson Alternative's Puppet Up!

Kermit and Miss Piggy Part of a New Holiday Show at Walt Disney World

Hallmarks’ Annual Christmas Keepsake Ornament for 2023

Monday, May 15, 2023

The Muppets Mayhem Review By Nicholas Napoli

Daily Archived Articles

Translate MuppetsHenson into ANY Language

Search MuppetsHenson