Theatre News Wire

Broadway In Chicago announced that individual tickets for STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, a live uncensored show that lets loose the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets, go on-sale Saturday, April 14, 2012 at 10 a.m. STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG will play the Bank of America Theatre (18 West Monroe) for one-week only June 12 - 17, 2012.

Produced by WestBeth Entertainment and Henson Alternative, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG is created by award-winning director, producer, and writer Brian Henson and actor and improvisational guru Patrick Bristow and features the Miskreant puppets and The Jim Henson Company's renowned puppeteers.

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG is a wild romp in which the skilled art of puppetry and spontaneous comedy collide. Unpredictable and irreverent, it's never the same show twice. Expert puppeteers create twisted scenes and songs on the fly, as suggestions from the audience prompt the improvised storylines unfolding on stage. This production delivers "two shows in one" as the hilarious puppet action is projected live on large screens flanking the stage, while the puppeteers race around below - displaying their skills in full view of the audience. With live musical accompaniment and Bristow as host, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG boasts a cast of six world-class puppeteers in an uninhibited live puppet performance, as never seen before.

The show drew rave reviews and overwhelming audience response. The Los Angeles Times said, "You cannot imagine the mayhem that erupts when an uninhibited house takes its cues from the gifted lunatics onstage. As uproariously uncensored an adult entertainment as you could hope for without lap dancers!" Time Out New York said, "Watching these pros work is consistently funny and fascinating. Since the puppeteers are visible throughout, viewers are treated to an up-close look at the mechanics of their trade. After it's all over, it's doubtful that you'll ever be able to watch Sesame Street the same way again...and you'll be all the better for it."

The San Francisco Chronicle said the combines "the magic of first rate Henson style puppetry and the ribald joy of comedy!" Theatermania.com notes, "A comedy improvisation show with a twist, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG has a wonderful and inventive cast - who also just happen to be extremely talented Henson puppeteers. The result is a first rate evening of comedy - with a program that changes from show to show." The Telegraph (UK) adds, "These brilliant American puppeteers are seducing all they meet...the apparently effortless technical excellence is matched only by some of the quickest and wickedest humor in town."

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG evolved from Henson's previous production "Puppet Up! -Uncensored," which made its debut at the 2006 HBO Comedy Festival (Aspen, CO) and later toured the 2006 Edinburgh Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland), The 2007 Comedy Festival (Las Vegas, NV) and Australia's Sydney Big Laugh Comedy Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (both 2007). Most recently, "Puppet Up" continued as a workshop piece in monthly performances at Avalon Hollywood. The New York engagement of STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG marked the debut of a completely revamped production featuring all new technical wizardry with original music and staging. STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG appeared alongside Cee-Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow at the 2011 Grammy Awards and was recently featured on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" and a feature length film is currently in the works.

Brian Henson (Creator, Producer) is Chairman of The Jim Henson Company and an award-winning director, producer, writer and puppeteer. Henson served as Executive Producer on the television projects "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" (which he also directed) and "Jim Henson's Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story" (which he also co-wrote and directed). He directed "Battleground," an Emmy Award-winning episode of the "Nightmares & Dreamscapes" anthology for TBS. Previous television projects that Henson produced include "Farscape," "Gulliver's Travels," "Muppets Tonight," and "Dinosaurs." Henson's film directing credits include "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "Muppet Treasure Island."

Most recently, Henson has served as an executive producer of the Emmy-nominated science-readiness pre-school series "Sid the Science Kid," airing daily on PBS KIDS. The series features his groundbreaking work at Jim Henson's Creature Shop, one of Hollywood's preeminent character building, digital and physical visual effects facilities. Henson was part of the team that first created and utilized the Henson Performance Control System, a powerful custom-based interface for puppeteers, which won an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award in 1992. He also led the Shop's work with its revolutionary digital puppeteering technology, the 2009 Emmy Award-winning Henson Digital Puppetry Studio that is featured in STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG as well as "Sid the Science Kid" and "Wilson & Ditch: Digging America."

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG Co-Creator/Host Patrick Bristow is best known for his television appearances, most notably as "Peter" on the groundbreaking ABC series "Ellen." Other small screen appearances: "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Seinfeld," "Friends," "Mad About You," "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and others. Film credits include "The Longest Yard," "Austin Powers," "So I Married An Ax Murderer," "Twilight of the Golds," and the accidental comedy "Showgirls." He performed, directed and taught at The Groundling Theatre. Directing credits include the Off Broadway run of "Stuffed and Unstrung," "Hot Dog TV" for The Cartoon Network, numerous theatre productions and the 2004 L.A. Weekly Theatre Awards Show. His improv company, "Improvatorium" produces costumed and improvised short plays in Hollywood. And just like everyone else, he has a first draft of a screenplay somewhere in his house.

Henson Alternative is The Jim Henson Company's label for content created specifically and exclusively for adult audiences. Previous credits include "Tinseltown" for Logo, "Puppet Up! - Uncensored" for TBS and the upcoming feature film "Happytime Murders" currently in development. producing organization that has successfully and consistently produced critically acclaimed, financially successful, groundbreaking entertainment for 30 years. From Billy Connolly to Eddie Izzard, John Leguizamo to The Jim Henson Company, Lewis Black to The Family Guy, WestBeth has been the creative catalyst, partner and producer of some of the most innovative productions in North America. Productions include Eddie Izzard's Dress To Kill, Circle, Sexie, and Stripped-a 35 city US Tour, and his 2010 US Arena tour, Billy Connolly's Too Old To Die Young tour in America and Canada, Lewis Black's Nothing Sacred show at New York's Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, as well as Lewis' Dual Citizenship Tour in Canada, Tommy Tiernan US dates, Dylan Moran US dates, Christopher Titus' NEVERLUTION, Shaun Majumder's Canada Tour, and Billy Connolly Live in Seattle, Boston, Chicago and his 2010 Canada tour 'The Man Live'. Most recent productions include John Leguizamo's Ghetto Klown on Broadway, Los Angeles and London, Eddie Izzard's Stripped to on the Shore at the Shoreline Amphitheater and Stripped to the Bowl at Hollywood Bowl and Henson Alternative's Stuffed And Unstrung tour.