PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS Comes To Pantages Theater 5/21

The wildly successful Puppetry of the Penis, The Ancient Australian Art of Genital Origami, will return to Minneapolis on Friday, May 21 at 7:00pm and 9:30pm at The Pantages Theatre. Tickets for Puppetry of the Penis are now on sale at (800) 982-2787 and www.ticketmaster.com.

The comedy spectacular will star a brand new cast! After a nationwide search, the creators discovered the finest young talent in the history of the production. Following their Apprenticeship in the mysteries of the Ancient Australian Art, Rich Binning and Christopher J. Cannon starred in the hit New York City production. Along with their packages, they are now touring North America and are currently in Los Angeles.

Hailed by Vanity Fair as "dementedly good fun!" and as seen on HBO's Real Sex, Puppetry of the Penis is the most outrageous show in the history of comedy! Requiring amazing concentration, astonishing stamina, an unbelievable stretch factor and a remarkable level of testicular fortitude, this show leaves women and men gasping at over 40 heroic and hilarious penis installations including the Pelican, The Windsurfer, The Eiffel Tower, Loch Ness Monster, and their signature installation, the Hamburger.

Puppetry of the Penis introduced the world to the ancient Australian art of genital origami. It has been experienced by over 1 million people in over 14 countries including the U.S., Great Britain, Australia, Holland, Germany, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Belgium, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal. Celebrities like Hugh Grant, Naomi Campbell, Posh Spice, Bono and Elton John have joined the crowds. It has been translated into three languages, had a "how to" book published, been played non-stop on HBO's "Real Sex" since 2002, and had DVD releases throughout the world.

HISTORY OF THE PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS
Puppetry of the Penis was conceived by Simon Morley in 1996 as the title of a classy, highbrow art calendar, showcasing twelve of his favorite penis installations. Years before, Simon's youngest brother had shown him his first genital trick, ‘The Hamburger'. Natural sibling rivalry with their two other brothers resulted in the evolution of a healthy repertoire of genital gesticulations. It was on New Year's Eve in 1997, with a garage full of calendars to sell and burgeoning requests for live demonstrations that Simon finally decided to unleash his talent on the world.

The natural choice of performing partner was David Friend, whose reputation as the life of any party was quickly growing. As a young boy, Friend began his current career in the bath and developed his skills further when he discovered beer at university in Byron Bay. After completing his degree in computing, he returned to Melbourne with his own highly individual collection of hanging art. Together, Simon and Friend became Puppetry of the Penis. Their debut season at the 1998 Melbourne International Comedy Festival was a huge hit. Simon and Friend then embarked on a national tour, circumnavigating Australia. This took eight months, covered 20,000 kilometres and was captured in all its glory in the documentary Tackle Happy.

A runaway hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2000, Puppetry of the Penis then set about the task of world domination, playing London's West End, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and launching multiple US companies, with one playing the John Houseman Theatre in New York for 2 years, and another two touring extensively, with sit-downs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. As of today, most of the Western World has played host to Puppetry of the Penis. Due to popular demand, Simon and his band of penis puppeteers continue to take their penises to the people with performances in Australia, Canada, USA, the UK and South Africa.
CRITICS AROUND THE WORLD HAVE RAVED ABOUT PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS calling it "Comedic brilliance!" Time Out NY, "Good, clean fun!" Philadelphia Inquirer. "clever and funny" NY Post, "Sends audience members into hysterics" NY Times, "...shocked me into uncontrollable fits of hysterics." Time Out, London, "An amiable Aussie duo that has turned playing with their privates into an art form." NY Post, "Does exactly what it says on the packet ...unbelievable" Financial Times, London, "Charming ... extraordinary ... DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!" The Guardian, London, "Inspires laughter, even awe" Time Out, New York, "...outright best show...shocking, ridiculous, hilarious..." The Age, Melbourne, "A theatrical sensation!" Variety, "...giggling fits that approached hysteria." National Post, Toronto, "...manage to make the penis user-friendly through the power of laughter." LA Times, "A dizzying combination of shock and fascination" Citysearch.com, "A most inventive, shocking, amusing, and thoroughly entertaining theatrical performance from down under." Penthouse, "Astonishing...unbelievable...go see for yourselves." Sydney Telegraph, "Positively glorious" Los Angeles Times, "Wildly funny! Penis is the new vagina!" Toronto Star, "You have to admit, these guys have balls." Boston Phoenix, "You'll have to see it to believe it." Boston Herald, "I still prefer musicals" Simon's Mum.

Puppetry of the Penis is a non-sexual adult show.

Tickets for PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS on Friday, May 21 at 7:00pm at the Pantages Theatre are available at (800) 982-2787 and www.ticketmaster.com. You may also purchase tickets in person at the State Theatre Box Office (no service fees) at 805 Hennepin Avenue. Ticket prices are $47.50 and $37.50.

For more information, please visit: www.puppetryofthepenis.com or www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deh4lWc703U.