Puppeteers For Fears Brings CTHULHU: THE MUSICAL on Tour

Puppeteers for Fears, Oregon's only dedicated puppet musical horror troupe, will bring its original show, Cthulhu: the Musical!, on the road to cities throughout the NW for performances on the company’s "Back From the Dead," 2023 summer tour.

"We're really excited to be back in action after Covid," says the company's Artistic Director, Josh Gross. "So we are bringing our biggest production yet, on our biggest tour to date. We are holding nothing back on this one."

Far from the lo-fi puppet show stereotype, the production features a full cast of five actors with elaborate custom-made hand-and-rod (Muppet style) puppets, a full-rock band, and projected multimedia backgrounds. It has sold out entire runs in Oregon, Washington, and Los Angeles, and has earned rave reviews from publications like from SyFyWire, Bloody Disgusting, Broadway World, Jefferson Public Radio, The Seattle Times, and more.

The play is adapted from the 1929 short story, The Call of Cthulhu,” by horror icon, H.P. Lovecraft, and tells the story of his most famous creation: Cthulhu, a giant, malevolent, octopus-faced elder god who hibernates beneath the ocean, communicating to humans through their dreams, slowly driving them mad. Though Lovecraft is not as much of a household name as writers like Stephen King or Edgar Allen Poe, he is widely considered to be the creator of the genre of gothic horror, and the creatures and themes he created are highly influential on modern literature of all genres. The story PFF chose to adapt is dark, disturbing, and totally unfit for musical comedy—all qualities that make it a perfect fit for their irreverent style. 

“We are always looking to turn classic themes on their head instead of rehashing tired storylines,” says Gross. “So when thinking about what our next piece might be, I sometimes add the words, 'the musical,' to different phrases in conversation to see how people react, if it has that magic combination of familiar hook, and new twist. When I said, 'Cthulhu: the Musical,' for the first time, a bunch of heads immediately turned in my direction, and strangers started asking where they could see it. So I knew we had to do that as a show, even though the challenge of turning something so dark into musical comedy was pretty daunting. It was definitely worth it though. There was a lot of comedy to be found and this show is so much fun to perform.” 

Cthulhu: the Musical! will be directed by Katy Curtis, and with a script and original songs from playwright Josh Gross.  Performances will feature live puppetry, a full rock band, and multimedia backgrounds courtesy of visual artist and Production Designer, Aubry Hollingshead. It stars Hunter Prutch, Alyssa Marie Mathews, Alex Giorgi, Jake Raiter, and Forest Gilpin. 

Tour Dates

7/6-7/8 - Ashland, OR, Local 31 

7/9 - Dunsmuir, CA, The Wheelhouse

7/13 - Brookings, OR, Chetco Pelican Players

7/14 - Eureka, CA, North Coast Repertory Theater

7/15 - Redding, CA, The Dip

7/16 - Sacramento, CA, Harlow’s

7/17 - Nevada City, CA, Nevada Theatre

7/19 - Reno, NV, Good Luck Macbeth

7/20 - San Francisco, CA, Bottom of the Hill

7/21 - Mt. Shasta City, CA, Jefferson Center for the Arts

7/22 - Medford, OR, Johnny B’s

7/27 - Redmond, OR, High Desert Music Hall

7/27 - Myrtle Creek, OR, The Grand Victorian Theatre

7/28 - Eugene, OR, Whirled Pies

7/29 - Portland, OR, private event

7/30 - Astoria, OR, Labor Temple

8/2 - Seattle, WA, Chop Suey

8/3 - Baker City, OR, The Churchill School

8/4 - La Grande, OR, La Grande HQ

8/5 - Boise, ID, Visual Arts Collective

8/9 - Portland, OR, Holocene

8/10 - Salem, OR, Infinity Room 

8/11 - Corvallis, OR, The Whiteside Theater

8/12 - Klamath Falls, OR, Linkville Playhouse

8/17 - 8/18 - Coos Bay, OR, The Dolphin Playhouse

8/19 - Roseburg, OR, The Sunnyside Theater

8/20 - Ashland, OR, The Black Sheep