I have to be honest with you, I pendulumed throughout the performance finding it at times hilarious, and at other times a little overrated. The funny parts are involuntary-blurt-out-laughing funny, but what frustrated me as a fan of musicals, was that often the show seemed to be trying to take the Mickey out of the genre. If you're after an example, try examining the first act for sentimentality. Any hint of reflection, a piano driven ballad, a sniff of introspection, hopes or dreams, moments filled with a sense o... crushed like a one-legged leper's dreams of being a dancer!!!
In the end though, the highs were enough to leave me entertained, having laughed enough to skip doing my usual 200 sit-ups at home that day. Really... few things in life give me more pleasure than watching puppets swear their little butts off.
The high point of the show for me came, not in the form of any grossly offensive punch line but in the transformation of Christmas Eve, a Japanese woman whose dreams of working in a Chinese Laundromat will, of course, never be realised. This diminutive, Engrish speaking Oriental suddenly unfurls one of the best soul/R&B voices I've ever heard with the number The More You Ruv Someone. Think Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Shirley Bassey. Wow! I mean Wow! I don't think this YouTube clip is as strong as the woman doing it here in Auckland (Christina O'Neill) but have a listen if you like.
Other song highlights for me were the hilarious live puppet sex show You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want, The Internet Is For Porn and Everyone's a Little Bit Racist. Special mention goes to the composers for writing a song called Schadenfreude!
The staging and concept is unique and original, and I heard many people remarking that after a little while you begin to watch the puppets and not the puppeteers. It wasn't like watching Les Mis for the first time, but this is a fun night out for anyone who likes musicals, theatre or smut.
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4 knobs up
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