Review: PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS, New Wimbledon Theatre, 20 October 2016

It's an unusual way to earn a living: manipulating your genitals on stage for the entertainment of others. But Puppetry of the Penis, or The Ancient Australian Art of Genital Origami, is just that.

Originally conceived by comedy producer Simon Morley in 1997, the show is an hour of full-frontal male nudity and genital manipulation, performed with ease and charm by Aussies Simon and fellow 'puppeteer' Fitchy.

After an entertaining warm-up act from Canadian stand up Phil Nichol, they bound onto the stage wearing glittery magicians' cloaks, socks and trainers, ready to tease and entertain a willing audience with their 'dick tricks'.

An hour of cheeky jokes and banter follows as the duo stretch and shape themselves into a variety of everyday items, famous characters and landmarks. Gene Simmons' tongue and Kim Kardashian's bottom are highlights. The manipulations are strangely fascinating and often very funny.

The act is filmed and projected onto a giant screen so no one in the audience misses a thing. There is a small delay here, which is slightly annoying, and it's a little jarring that Fitchy speaks more into the camera than directly to the audience.

Despite being billed as a show for everyone, it's no surprise that the vast majority of the audience is female. That's probably just as well, as the few bemused men spent most of the show wincing and gasping at what they were seeing.

This is not a salacious or sexual striptease show; it's a comedy show that uses the male body as a prop. It features good-natured silliness by two likeable men, who just happen to perform their show completely naked.

Puppetry of the Penis is certainly a novelty act, but novelty acts that are just gimmicks do not tend to last. Having played to millions of people in 35 countries, in five languages, it's clear that the boys are doing something right.

It's not a show for everyone, but there is one guarantee: you will never have seen anything quite like it. In theatre, that's quite an accolade.

Puppetry of the Penis is touring until 5 May 2017

To post a comment, you must register and login.