Another Return of Those Endearingly Weird Puppets

Angry Young Men Ltd.’s Full Frontal Puppetry returned this past Friday with a one-night show that brought back the distinct flavor of weirdness that had come to define the adult puppet group. The delightfully weird, little puppets have been featured on quite a few stages over the years.  This time around the group made its way to the back room of Amorphic Beer on North Fratney. I had wings from a nearby food truck before the show in a very cozy post-industrial atmosphere...enjoying a couple of Paradigm Paradox IPAs in and amidst a show dominated by fellow Xers both in and out of the audience.


A Full Frontal Puppetry is a fun satirical evening of comedy for a generation that might still harbor hazy memories of The Muppet Show over the VHF band on a low-res cathode ray tube in the prime time of  early childhood. Fuzzy, little personalities cascade through skits in a variety show atmosphere.


Modeled as it is after the overall feel of a Muppet Show, there IS a guest star. The guest for this particular show was local opera performer Julianne Perkins, who worked her way through a performance of  a very romantic piece (by Gilbert and Sullivan if I recall correctly.)  It was a duet with partner Josh in the role of a zombie puppet. It was actually an oddly touching duet for singer, puppeteer and zombie voice. Later-on Julianne sung a beautiful piece while a fuzzy, little puppet named Razzle killed mice puppets in the background. Beautiful notes flowed through the space as tiny, little bodies were crushed and decapitated amidst streamers of blood. It was...actually really, really cute.


The show is sharp and self-referential. At show’s opening. Lumpy the Golem Boy and Murry Gauntman (the old zombie guy who was the first ever AYM puppet) discuss the evening ahead and find out that very little of what they’re going to be performing on the evening is actually new material. The simply third-party presidential debate between third-party puppets, a houseplant and Julianne was fun. Once again, Sid the Fetus comes across as an eerily appealing, little guy. The houseplant representing the Green Party held everyone’s attention with some really interesting points. Not all of the old material is funny, but it never fails to be fun. It’s cool, though. FFP is inhabited by cool, little fuzzy guys to hang out with...not all of which I remember from my last visit with the FF puppets.


Of particular note in and amongst the action was an adorable, little goat with a big heart. My wife and I had a chance to talk with her a bit at intermission. She considers herself the GOAT-goat even though...y’know...she hadn’t shown-up in the entire first half of the show. After intermission, Lumpy is giving her a driving test and things...predictably...go wrong. It’s a fun sketch.


Amorphic is a fun space for a show like this. It’s off on the edges of the Riverwest’s spiritual hub.  Walk far enough in any direction in that neighborhood and you just might find the end credits to Milwaukee or something. It’s such an enchanting, existentially permeable space that makes for a really great atmosphere for a really great microbrewery.


The latest Full Frontal Puppetry was one night only. For more information on what the Full Frontal Puppets are up to, visit them on Facebook. For a look at what’s on offer at Amorphic, visit them online too.