The Ancient Art of Penis Puppetry in Los Angeles

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Always looking to live life on the edge, I suggested to my wife that we go see a theatrical production. You know, real snooty, upper crust culture. She happily agreed, and we were soon off to the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles to catch one of their last performances of "Puppetry of the Penis" before it left town. What is Puppetry of the Penis, you wonder? I know that I was certainly curious, since I could only think of a few tricks to perform; all of which were highly limited, normal functions.

Simon Morley conceived "Puppetry of the Penis" in 1996 as the title of a classy, highbrow art calendar, showcasing twelve of his favorite "dick" tricks. Years before in Australia, Simon's youngest brother had shown him his first dick trick, The Hamburger. Naturally, sibling rivalry with their two other brothers resulted in the evolution of a healthy repertoire of genital gesticulations. On New Year's Eve in 1997, with a garage full of calendars to ship and burgeoning requests for live demonstrations, Simon finally decided to unleash his talent on the world. Currently, the show is up and running throughout Spain, France, Holland, Austria, South Africa, Australia, and in numerous cities in the United States: Boston, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Fresno, Portland, Sacramento, and Chicago. Check out their web site for the long and short of the details on the show, tour dates, etc. http://www.puppetryofthepenis.com

The cozy Coronet Theater houses 284 seats, and was jam packed with quite an interesting crowd. The gregarious audience ranged from bachelorette parties, girls nights out, (both gay and straight) couples out on date night, and the occasional creepy loner type. Of course, there were more women in the audience than men. My friend, Jason, summed it up as something to the effect that "women were coming to learn a few tricks to teach their significant other." By watching the audience prior to the theater doors opening, the mood was somewhat nervous, and quirky, as people didn't exactly know what to expect. But inside, with the HUGE projection screen on stage amplifying the theatrical penis tricks, aka dick tricks, to 20' x 20', it's somewhat scary to see a johnson that large. Not only were they large, on screen that is, but they could even do origami tricks. I think Freud was all wrong; it all boils down to puppetry envy.

The entire show was non-stop laughter. Hence, I coined a phrase, "Dicktacular!" and it certainly fits. To warm up the crowd, a hysterical comedienne, Debi Gutierrez, performed a 30-minute set. As she stated the obvious in her ice-breaking set, "I don't have a penis." The majority of her gut busting humor was aimed at typical mommy, women experiences involving kids, husbands, and, of course, penises. I concur with her thought, why she never understood why people were paying money to see this theatrical production - men showing you tricks with their penises - when most men are more than willing to whip it out and show you for free. All in the name of entertainment and complete audience satisfaction, I thought.

After her 30 minute set, it was time for the stars of the show to hit the stage. It was obvious that the two performers, marionettes if you will, had worked long and hard on their tricks as they went through their set. Without proper stretching, they warned, these tricks must not be tried at home. Or, you could purchase their step-by-step self-titled explanatory book. Each told the history of many of the puppetry tricks, told jokes, explained how to do some of these, and often asked for female volunteers to assist them. When a trick fell flat or grossed out someone in the crowd, they were quick to remind the crowd, "Now who paid to see dick tricks?!" Now that statement really brings this whole issue to a head.

As the camera operator zoomed in for a close-up of one of the below the belt maneuvers,

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Kim and Don Tatera, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com

About the Author

Rob LaGrone, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.