Puppetry Of The Penis (DVD)

Puppetry Of The Penis (DVD) ... the DVD: Full Screen, PAL / There is nothing more entertaining than a grown man putting his arm up something furry and talking to it on daytime television, but nothing comes close to the entertainment factor of Puppetry of the Penis, the two-member show that wowed the Edinburgh festival and probably the strangest 50 minutes of entertainment you will ever experience. The creators of this strange puppetry are two lads hailing from Melbourne--David Friend and Simon Morley--who use an altogether different kind of marionette: their penises. This small-screen version of the Puppetry of the Penis (subtitled "The Ancient Art of Genital Origami") is filmed live at Melbourne's Forum theatre. Basically the guys do exactly what it says on the box, strip down to their socks and shoes and then manipulate their members into all manner of objects. Highlights include the Lock Ness monster (obviously added for the festival), the hamburger and their "penis de resistance", the windsurfer, which with the aid of a skateboard and fan signals their final exit. Funny and original as the concept is, this is the kind of show that definitely loses something on screen. Although it tries to capture some of the hilarity ensuing from the predominantly female hen-night audience by panning over the crowd, you can't help feeling that you are missing part of the joke. But some of the "dick tricks" are eye-wateringly funny, and if nothing else it's not every show where you get a quick tutorial into how to make your penis look like Ronald MacDonald's fave food. On the DVD: Although the show itself is only 50-min long, you also get a brilliant "Cockstars", a 45-min "Fly on the Wall" mockumentary, which details the twosome's rise to fame. And what about the disc itself? Well, you can cop a load of the boys in dramatic full-frame transfer and titter along with the Dolby Surround soundtrack; there is even a "Dick Trick" book, so that you can really can try these at home. --Kristen Bowditch