Customer Reviews

Puppetry of the Penis: The Ancient Art of Genital Origami

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS was an unexpected hot ticket in London and New York--a fifty minute comedy act that involves to two men who give a new meaning to the phrase "show and tell" by stripping buck naked and twisting their genitalia into, well, object d'art. So to speak. And this DVD offers the show before a live audience, so you can sit in on the twisting and pulling in an up-close and personal sort of way.

This sounds a lot more bizarre than it really is, as any man who ever spent part of their teenage years in the highschool locker room can tell you. Yes: it really is teenage boy humor, and Austrailian comics Simon Morley and David Friend have snatched it out of the locker room and plunked it on stage for all the world to see. There's "the boomerang," "the eye," "the Loch Ness Monster," "the baby bird," and a host of other penis impersonations--all of which are good for a giggle and some of which are downright hilarious.

Although the show is done in the nude, it isn't in the least erotic, so if that's what you're looking for you had better go some where else. And in truth, this is a show that probably works much better on stage, where there it no doubt has an "in your face" factor that leads the audience to embarrassed hilarity--and indeed, the camera spends almost as much time on audience reaction as on the performers.

Now, this is never going to make any one's short list of "must own live comedy shows." After all, the material will only stretch so far... but taken in the right spirit, it is quite amusing, and it might be the perfect video for that next party you're thinking about giving--just imagine the possibilities! The DVD package also includes a documentary on the creation of a second PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS performing company, which is also amusing in a bizarre sort of way, and a small booklet that will let viewers follow along at home if they are so inclined. An entertaining bit of fluff.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I did not watch "Live at the Forum" until after I had spent seven weeks working with the touring company of Puppetry of the Penis. Though the video is good, it doesn't do the live show justice. If you have seen it live, you probably won't be blown away by the video. If you have never seen it live, you will probably love the video.

It is no way pornographic. After a couple minutes, you forget that they are even naked.

The two men in the video are the creators of the show. One is currently touring in America, the other is touring in Australia. I have never worked with either though. The other "dick trickers" on tour are definitely funnier than these two. I probably just got spoiled by the two boys that I worked with though. There are very few men in the world who would be willing (or able) to get onstage and play with themselves for an hour in front of an audience of thousands. You have to respect them for that.

A truly different and unusal comedy - everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask as to what a man can do with with his "equipment". These guys take what could be pornography and turn it into a most unusual comedy act. It's all there for you to see - yes they show just about everything. Once you get past the "shock" that you will see male genitalia (and in closeup) and start "laughing with the audience" you can have a real fun experience. I saw the show and the DVD put me in a better seat that if I were in a front row seat! Half the fun is the reaction of the audience to the "tricks". It actually becomes good clean fun for those who will not be offended by the nudity and the fact that these are two guys playing (literally) with themselves and enjoying it. This is not a video you would probably watch often but it is a great "party-type" video - something to show your friends who think they have seen it all.

Never has the male member been so funny! David Friend and Simon Morley are captured here on DVD doing what has made them famous - dick tricks. Sophmoric? Yes! Easy to do at home? Yes! But it is the two's easy-going matter of fact nature that makes this such a fun romp! You get better seats by watching the show in this format than if you made it into the theatre. The camera moves in very close, and the result is abstract and not pornographic in the slightest. It actually would be a family-friendly show except for the nudity. The guys do not use foul languange, and none of this is sexy - just silly. There is an innocent glee almost as if these adult men are still in junior high! It's a gigglefest.

This movie is very funny to sit down and watch. It had most men and a few women in the audience wincing when these guys took thier dicks and twisted and pulled them into art form. What I was amazed with most was the comfort of the artists performing nude in front of a very large audience and even when thier "goods" were up on the big screen. I would have given this "art form" more than 5 stars but it was not an option. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants a good laugh with the light hearted.

While searching for the "Vagina Monologues" I saw this DVD and thought I should give equal time to male genitalia.
Well, it is a hoot and a half though not particularly lengthy (no pun intended.) You may frequently avert your eyes, as does the live audience, but you will have to look again and again. This is a unique and amusing act, but not for the squeamish or easily offended.

Having heard so much about this show, I certainly expected more. The show runs 50 minutes and at least 30 of those are redundant audience shots, swarmy or silly stage chatter and other assorted time-fillers. The "tricks" themselves aren't that spectacular: women and men may be uncomfortable watching them, but for very different reasons. The guys themselves are nothing special to look at and their equipment, apart from its (hmmm) elasticity, is nothing remarkable either. For a commercial release, the stage show video is poorly filmed and directed. The picture is subpar, the music is annoying jokey and the direction usually cuts to the audience before it shows you the dick trick everyone's laughing at uproariously. Slightly more interesting, but only slightly, is an added documentary on how the show was put together and the casting for a replacement company.

Although some of the gags are kind of cute, overall the film lacks a decent patter. There is too much focus on the audience reaction. Overall, I got bored half way through the program. It was not that the puppetry wasn't interesting and funny, but the guys aren't funny at all. They seem to be quite amused at themselves, but I couldn't find their chatter anything but dull.

The two guys manage to make the show funny and entertaining without it feeling "dirty".
Having said that, you sure don't want to watch it with your kids present- it is total male nudity and they use that "male nudity" like a clown with balloons to make all sorts of shapes-really! (The first trick made every guy in the room grimace!)
It's a fun adult party movie, although a bit too long. After you've seen a guy make a sailboat and a hamburger on a bun...

This amusement played here in Manhattan last year and got oodles of publicity. It became the "in" thing to see and blab to your friends about. Since I wasn't able to make it, I've looked forward to watching this DVD. Filmed in front of a live audience, the cameras are trained far too much on audience reaction. You're shown over and over again people laughing hysterically and doubling over and sliding down in thier seats--when you want to feast your eyes on the two puppet masters. Both are very attractive and fascinating to watch as they exhibit zero inhibitions about appearing nekkid before a crowd. Their tricks are startling but after awhile you become tired of them. But this isn't the feature that will fascinate you. It's the extra included on the disc--"Cockstars", a documentary about the process of auditioning other males who can carry on this grand tradition in another touring show. Their surprise "star", Steve, is beyond adorable. He's like a very hunky college guy in Australia or New Zealand who doesn't brag or joke or preen. He's very down-to-earth and sweet. You watch him and the others go on stage for their first appearance and you can almost feel the nervous chills. Unfortunately again, the camera continues to dart away after giving us just tiny little peeks at the nude Steve and his cohorts. This would make a perfect party video to show your guests. It's fun to watch hunky guys with no modesty get up on stage and play with themselves.