Interview: Patrick Bristow of PUPPET UP! at Montalbán Theatre

These days, when Patrick Bristow is recognized on the street, he can usually ascertain which role of his someone may know based on their demographic. “If it’s a young person, they know me from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. If it’s a gay person of a certain age, they know me from Ellen. And if it’s a straight person of a certain age, they know me from Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Apart from these and more iconic TV appearances, Bristow has a long history with improvised comedy, which made him the perfect fit to direct Puppet Up!, Brian Henson’s long-running puppet improv show.

“Like anyone, growing up I was a huge fan of The Muppets and all things Jim Henson. The way Kermit is so put-upon, he becomes the everyman. So relatable, so kind, he is the most human person in the world, but he’s a frog. I also loved Janice. Her design just grabbed me. The way her eyes never opened and she has this blissed-out resting face.” Although a fan, Bristow had no exposure to the inner-workings of puppetry before joining forces with Brian Henson.

“Improv was the first performance discipline that was a really good match for me,” he explains. “It’s a disposable performance and that pressure was a huge appeal. You are performing your opening and closing night all in one.” When he began working with puppeteers on improv, Bristow quickly diagnosed a major problem. “There’s no eye contact. The puppeteers’ eyes are glued to these tiny monitors and they can’t really break away from them, so they miss out on millions of little micro-exchanges that good improvisors depend on to connect with their scene partner.” To make up for this, Bristow continues, the puppeteers have to become expert aural communicators, relying on sounds to convey the exchange of energy required to deliver a funny scene.