Tuesday, we're taking on full-puppet nudity with the musical Avenue Q and a look at the history of puppetry. Muppet-style characters may remind you of Sesame Street, but with songs like "The Internet Is For Porn," it's obvious Avenue Q is not for kids. The scholar Eileen Blumenthal says it's only been a century since puppets were "ghettoized" to children's entertainment. Doug talks to Blumenthal and others about a craft and tradition that may have you thinking differently about your cuddly puppet friends.
The University of Utah's Department of Theatre is staging Avenue Q at the Babcock Theatre through November 24. For tickets and information, click here or call 801-581-7100
Watch a short documentary with Jennifer Barnhart about what it means to bring an inanimate object to life. On-line at VideoWest
Guests:
- Bob Mondello, NPR Arts Critic
- David Schmidt, Department of Theatre, University of Utah; Director, Avenue Q
- Jennifer Barnhart, Original Broadway Cast Member, Avenue Q, Artist-in-Residence for the University of Utah's production of Avenue Q
- Eileen Blumenthal, Professor of Theater Arts at Rutgers University and author of Puppetry: A World History [Amazon | Indiebound]
