Preview
PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS
Starring Simon Bradley and Jason Calderia
Monday, February 2
Jack Singer Concert Hall
As an argument escalates, usually between two men, it is not unusual for a verbal combatant to let loose with, "You don’t know dick!"
Well, if you are bold enough to attend a certain live performance coming to town this week, you’ll probably realize very quickly that you really don’t know dick. At least you don’t know it nearly as well as the featured performers in Puppetry of the Penis.
In this very unique live theatre event, two gentlemen take to the stage au naturel to display the time-honoured art of genital origami. Or, in layman’s terms, a couple of naked dudes come out and twist their equipment into shapes often known as dick tricks.
Australian Simon Bradley, who’ll be performing in the Calgary show, admits it’s a performance that startles many.
"I think a lot of people come along and they think that it involves shadow puppets and that we are behind a screen or something like that. So I think they are a little shocked and frightened to begin with. But we do try to ease the audience into it."
And it seems to work. "Probably, after the first five or 10 minutes, it could be an elbow that I am playing with, really," he says. "We sort of completely take away all the negative feelings that people have towards genitals and try to turn them into positives."
Puppetry of the Penis was originally conceived by Bradley’s fellow Aussies, Simon Morley and David Friend, who first unveiled the show at the 1998 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It has since become an international phenomenon, touring to the U.K., Europe, U.S. and Canada, with Morley and Friend performing a five-month run in London’s West End and appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
An amateur dick-tricker since his high school days, Bradley got this gig by attending a Puppetry of the Penis performance in his hometown of Perth a few years back. He took part in post-show auditions and demonstrated a below-the-belt dexterity that was so well-received, he says, "I have been travelling the world on my willy ever since."
Joining Bradley on stage for this Canadian tour is Jason Calderia, a globe-trotting dancer turned pro wiener wrangler who now resides in Montreal.
Though intrigued females often bring binoculars to Puppetry of the Penis performances, Bradley contends they are not necessary. "There is a large video screen that is onstage behind us and we have a camera down in front, so everything is magnified," he says. "My penis behind me is about as tall as I am. It does wonders for your confidence."
From the "Hamburger" to the "Eiffel Tower," about 40 different penis installations (dick tricks) are described and delivered in each Puppetry of the Penis performance. And, like cover bands that have to keep learning new songs, shaft-gripping puppeteers are always looking to update their act. Since Bradley’s homeland is the birthplace of genital origami, he declares, "I catch up with quite a few of the Australian performers every now and then. We call it a cock jam. We all get together put our tricks out and see who has come up with what and what we can change."
All this consultation and experimentation has led to many awe-inspiring manoeuvres. A personal favourite for Bradley is one called "The Slow Emerging Mollusk."
"(It) is something that tends to get quite a bit of shock value," he says. "It’s very funny and it works. It really brings the house down."
Of course, anyone in Bradley’s unusual line of work has to be ready for the eventual stupid questions. He rises to the occasion and fields them all with unflinching good humour. Asked if the penis installations hurt, he responds, "No of course not. There’s no way I’d get onstage and twist my nuts if it were going to hurt me."
Regarding the possible need for higher-than-normal theatre temperatures, Bradley declares of the Calgary show, "We’ll probably have it in the contract. I know in Europe, especially through England and Scotland, we had it in the rider that the theatre had to be a certain temperature or there would be no show."
If you wonder why a cold theatre could impede a Puppetry of the Penis performance, you’ve obviously never heard of shrinkage. In other words – you don’t know dick. |
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