Ever wonder about the dating and mating practices of puppets?
Neither did we until we stepped into the UA's Marroney Theatre Wednesday night for Blind Summit Theatre's "The Sex Lives of Puppets."
The often hilarious, sometimes poignantly moving 90-minute play looks at the sex lives of older people, from their biggest insecurities to their secret fetishes.
The show, which is ending its American tour in Tucson with five performances presented by Arizona Arts Live, was created by Mark Down, an English writer, performer, designer and co-founder of Blind Summit Theatre; and Ben Keaton, an Irish actor best known for the popular sitcom "Father Ted."
Robin and Dimitri (with puppeteers, from left, Isobel Griffiths, Elliot Liburd, Dale Wylde and Mark Down) were among the characters in "The Sex Lives of Puppets," presented by Arizona Arts Live.
The piece was inspired by a survey of older people's sexual attitudes and lifestyles conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Through a series of mostly funny and sometimes heart-wrenching vignettes set up as interviews, the characters — brought to life by Down, Isobel Griffiths, Dale Wylde and Elliot Liburd — reveal their sexual secrets, fantasies and regrets.
Jeremy and Meryl are a once-a-week regular, right after golf and right under the noses of their unsuspecting spouses.
Daz has a fetish about being choked.
Suki has a problem with rejection that does not end well for the man who dismisses her sexual advances.
And then there's Harry trying desperately to woo his wife Frannie, whose biggest complaint is the grammar he uses in his dirty talk.
But when he promises to take Frannie to the Eiffel Tower, grammar is the last thing on her mind. The moment turned into one of the funniest scenes of the evening as Harry asks his puppet handlers to help him undress.
You can probably guess where that went.
One of the most conflicting characters is Clive, who spent two years planning an orgy trip with his buddies to Las Vegas that is interrupted when he learns his wife found a lump in her breast. Rather than jump on a plane and return home, he laments at how his wife has ruined his plans.
Audience members had a chance to meet the cast of puppets and their operators after Wednesday's performance at the UA's Marroney Theatre. The show continues through Saturday.
With a heavy dose of humor and humanity, "The Sex Lives of Puppets" says the quiet parts out loud on a topic we're often afraid to dive into.
Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Marroney Theatre, 1025 N. Olive Road on the University of Arizona campus. Tickets are $29.50 through arizonaartslive.com.
This show includes strong language and sexual content and images and is not recommended for anyone under 18.
