Created by award-winning director, producer, and writer 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 promises to deliver a completely unique experience, expertly combining dynamic and spontaneous off-the-cuff comedy and outrageous story lines with the unmatched talent and creativity of Henson puppeteers.
“The Jim Henson Company is universally recognized as a worldwide leader in family entertainment having created some of the most iconic brands and characters in the industry. From The Muppets to ‘Fraggle Rock,’ ‘Labyrinth’ to ‘The Dark Crystal,’ many of us spent our youth transfixed by the work of Henson Puppeteers,” said Vincent Marini, Creative Director and Executive Producer of BASE Entertainment. “Now BASE Entertainment is thrilled to be joining with Henson Alternative (the irreverently funny adult arm of the Jim Henson Company) to bring that same level of creativity to adult audiences with an evening of ever-changing, no-holds-barred comedy that promises to be the most unique evening of comedy on the strip.”
Since 2005, the revolving cast of six world-class puppeteers and over 60 unruly puppets have been entertaining audiences, selling out shows and thrilling critics from coast to coast and around the world. Now set to take over the Strip as the city’s newest resident show, the laugh-out-loud production has been amplified and adapted to include a wide-range of added elements, heightened technology and a reimagined set, all designed specifically for Las Vegas audiences.
“Opening the show in Las Vegas after touring throughout the world was an obvious choice,” said Brian Henson, “The outrageous and naughty nature of the show lends itself perfectly for Vegas audiences and now that we have found its permanent home we have been able to really enhance the show in ways that were just not possible on the road.”
Puppet Up! – Uncensored is never exactly the same show twice. Guests may choose to interact with the show through real time suggestions or just sit back and enjoy the ever changing antics presented on stage.
Additional Show Information
LOCATION: Inside The Sands Showroom at The Venetian
SCHEDULE: 6 Nights a week; Dark Wednesdays
TIME: 9 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday; 7 p.m. Sundays & Mondays
TICKETS: Starting at $69 (includes all fees)
AUDIENCE: Recommended for guests 16+
Originally Produced by Westbeth Entertainment and Henson Alternative, the irreverently funny adult arm of the Jim Henson Company, ‘Puppet Up! – Uncensored’ will now be produced for Las Vegas with BASE Entertainment, Norton Herrick and co-producer SPI Entertainment.
Joining the team as co-producer of “Puppet Up! – Uncensored” is film, television and theatrical producer and Tony-Award winner Norton Herrick “I’m very excited to be joining my producing partners, BASE and SPI, to bring this one-of-a-kind, must-see comedy experience to Las Vegas audiences.”
“The road to getting Puppet Up! to Las Vegas has been a long time coming and I’m so excited to be working alongside such a talented and creative group of individuals to make this resident show a reality,” said Adam Steck, founder and CEO of SPI Entertainment.
Tickets, on sale now, may be purchased at any box office at The Venetian or The Palazzo, online at Ticketmaster.com or Venetian.com/PuppetUp or by calling (702) 414-9000 or (866) 641-7469. For groups of 10 or more, please call (866) 633-0195 or (702) 785-5394.
For more information about ‘Puppet Up! – Uncensored’ please visit www.puppetup.com.
About BASE Entertainment
BASE Entertainment develops, produces, and manages intellectual properties and venues for live entertainment in North America and internationally from offices in New York, Houston, Las Vegas, and Singapore. In addition to Puppet Up, BASE’s current productions in Las Vegas include Mat Franco – Magic Reinvented Nightly at the Linq, Absinthe at Caesars Palace, Paul Zerdin: Mouthing Off and Frankie Moreno – Under The Influence at Planet Hollywood, Rock of Ages at The Rio, Jersey Boys at Paris, and Million Dollar Quartet at Harrah’s. In addition, BASE operates the Showroom at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and the theaters at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. BASE also produces museum quality touring and residency exhibitions including Sea Monsters Revealed and Battle for Texas: The Experience. BASE Entertainment’s founders and partners include industry veterans Brian Becker and Scott Zeiger, and Beverly Hills-based private equity firm Clarity Partners. For more information please visit www.BASEentertainment.com.
About Henson Alternative
Henson Alternative is The Jim Henson Company’s label for content created specifically and exclusively for adult audiences. In 1955, Jim Henson’s first television production “Sam & Friends” appeared on late-night television as a lead in to “The Tonight Show,” establishing a standard in the Company’s work for irreverent, creative comedy projects that spoke to adults. Appearances on “The Jimmy Dean Show,” “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and “Saturday Night Live,” as well as numerous short films for clients like IBM and AT&T, proved that Henson puppetry was not limited to children. Today, Henson Alternative continues to produce and develop projects for this audience. Credits include “No, You Shut Up!,” currently airing on Fusion, “Neil’s Puppet Dreams” (Nerdist), “Tinseltown” (Logo), “Puppet Up! – Uncensored” (a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 “Best Stage Shows” by Entertainment Weekly), and the upcoming feature film “Happytime Murders” currently in development with STX Entertainment. (www.hensonalternative.com)
About Norton Herrick
(Producer/Financier) is Chairman of The Herrick Company, Inc., with income property transactions, “Green” Power Plants and hospitals totaling more than over $5 Billion. Its Herrick Entertainment division, a motion picture, theatrical production, television and financing company’s theatrical production credits include the new to Broadway musical, Waitress starring Jessie Mueller; Hair The Musical and Pippin both Tony Award winners for Best Musical Revival; the Las Vegas show Hairspray; the theater adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings; and the Broadway revival of American Buffalo. Mr. Herrick also produced the Broadway revivals of Exit The King, starring Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon; Eugene O’Neill’s Desire Under The Elms; and Promises, Promises, starring Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes. Mr. Herrick also produced Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5: The Musical; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; West Side Story; and Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark. Herrick Entertainment’s film lineup includes Oscar & SAG nominated and Critic’s Choice Best Picture and Best Actor Award winner, action-thriller Lone Survivor, starring Mark Wahlberg; 2 Guns, starring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington; Very Good Girls, a coming-of-age film starring Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen and Demi Moore; horror-thriller Nightlight; and recently released Precious Cargo, starring Bruce Willis. Past film credits include The Devil’s Double, Vanishing on 7th Street, My One and Only, and The Moth Diaries. His partnership in Thoroughbred horses won the Kentucky Derby with Animal Kingdom in 2011 and the $10,000,000 World Cup in Dubai in 2013. Mr. Herrick is a longtime supporter of progressive and humanitarian causes. He has served on the Boards of People for the American Way and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Mr. Herrick is also the recipient, along with President Ronald Reagan and Isaac Stern, of the Jerusalem 3000 Award, presented by Prime Minister Shimon Peres and most recently the recipient, along with Michael J. Fox and Billy Cypress, of the President’s Medal from the University of Miami presented by its President, Donna Shalala and the Guardian Award from the Hebrew University Jerusalem. www.theherrickcompany.com
About WestBeth Entertainment
WestBeth Entertainment has consistently delivered critically acclaimed, financially successful, groundbreaking productions and performances for over 30 years. WestBeth’s ability to meld creative vision with financial and production savvy has created a unique company out of making artists’ and audience’s dreams come true.
From Billy Connolly to Eddie Izzard, and The Jim Henson Company to John Leguizamo, WBE has been the creative catalyst, partner and producer of some of the most innovative performances and productions on the continent in venues throughout North America including Madison Square Garden, The Hollywood Bowl, Toronto’s Massey Hall, Chicago’s Chicago Theatre and even New York’s Radio City Musical Hall.
With entertainment and audience enjoyment being a key element, our most recent productions include: Eddie Izzard’s 67 city Force Majeure American Tour; Billy Connolly’s High Horse tour of Canada, the off-Broadway run of comedian Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime; Eric Idle’s What About Dick at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles; John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown on Broadway, the West End, and Colombia, South America; and the national tour, Off-Broadway, Australia tour and Edinburgh Fringe Festival runs of The Jim Henson Company’s Puppet Up, Uncensored!
About SPI Entertainment
SPI Entertainment, helmed by award winning Producer Adam Steck is a leading Production Company & Talent Agency with six successful resident shows in the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas, and several shows touring internationally. With a successful track record of building entertainment brands and partnering with world-class entertainers, SPI has become the preeminent Theatrical Producer & Talent Agency in Las Vegas and beyond. In addition to Puppet Up! SPI’s other current Las Vegas Productions include Human Nature – Jukebox at the Venetian, Boyz II Men at the Mirage, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth at MGM Grand, Australia’s Thunder From Down Under at Excalibur, Divas – Starring Frank Marino at the Linq and The Australian Bee Gees Show at Excalibur. www.SPIentertainment.com
About The Venetian® Las Vegas
Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, The Venetian Las Vegas features all-suite accommodations, exquisite restaurants by celebrity chefs and world-class entertainment and shopping. The luxury resort offers 4,028 elegant suites, including standard suites that are nearly double the size of the average Las Vegas hotel room. The Venetian, along with its sister property The Palazzo Las Vegas, is home to restaurants from celebrated chefs including Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Emeril Lagasse and Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro. The resort also features Canyon Ranch SpaClub; a five-acre pool and garden deck; TAO nightclub; the Grand Canal Shoppes retail and dining mecca; a 120,000-square-foot casino; the Strip’s largest poker room; and more than 2.25 million square feet of meeting and convention space. For more information, visit venetian.com, @venetianvegas and facebook.com/venetianlasvegas. The Venetian Las Vegas is a property of global integrated resorts developer Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS).