Brian Henson's Puppet Up!

ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY AND WESTBETH ENTERTAINMENT PRESENT BRIAN HENSON'S PUPPET UP!,
HILARIOUS STAGE SHOW WITH
OUTRAGEOUS LIVE COMEDY AND ICONIC HENSON PUPPETRY,
SEPTEMBER 29, 2026

“Top 10 Best Stage Shows. Grade A.”
– Entertainment Weekly

“If you're a Jim Henson buff, this show is not to be missed.”
– Time Out

“The magic of first-rate Henson-style puppetry and the ribald joy of comedy.”
– San Francisco Chronicle

“You cannot imagine the mayhem that erupts when an uninhibited house takes its cues from the gifted lunatics onstage.”
– Los Angeles Times

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (August 25, 2026) – Ensemble Arts Philly and WestBeth Entertainment present the fast-spinning improv comedy of dozens of Jim Henson puppets in Brian Henson’s Puppet Up!, at the Miller Theater on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.

“The characters created by Jim Henson and Jane Henson have delighted generations of audiences, demonstrating the remarkable ability of puppetry to spark imagination, humor, and genuine human connection,” said Frances Egler, Vice President of Theatrical Programming and Presentations. “Ensemble Arts Philly is always looking for live experiences that surprise audiences and expand our understanding of what performance can be, and Puppet Up! does exactly that. Led by Brian Henson, this spontaneous, audience-driven production honors a creative legacy while introducing it to audiences in an entirely fresh and unexpected way.”

Created by legendary puppeteer and award-winning director Brian Henson (Muppet Christmas Carol, Labyrinth) and director-host Patrick Bristow (The Groundlings, Ellen, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Puppet Up!, is an elaborate, over-the-top theatrical production - in which the audience watches the magic as it happens.

In Puppet Up!, Henson Puppets and world-class puppeteers sing, dance, and take audience suggestions throughout this night of outrageous sketch comedy for adults. The Jim Henson Company has created a hilarious two-shows-in-one experience with all the puppet action projected live on screens above the stage, while the puppeteers are racing around below in full view of the audience to bring it all to life. In full view of the audience, video cameras capture all the zany fun that makes up this Henson spectacle—complete with lights, special effects, sound, and music.

In addition to the “puppet anarchy” of the improvised sketches, the show also features musical numbers and lovingly recreates classic pieces originally created by Jim and Jane Henson, and Frank Oz, that haven’t been seen by live audiences in decades.

Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org, by calling 215-893-1999, or in person at the Academy of Music Box Office (240 S. Broad Street). For more information on the Academy of Music's Box Office hours, please visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.  

Brian Henson's Puppet Up!
Miller Theater
Tuesday, September 29, 2026, 7:30 p.m.

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Other featured upcoming performances include ALOK: Eat Pray Leave Tour (September 4, 2026, Perelman Theater inside the Kimmel Center); R.F. Kuang – Taipei Story (September 11, 2026, Miller Theater); Shoshana Bean (September 16, 2026, Miller Theater); Sasha Velour – Travesty (September 17, 2026, Miller Theater); Brad Williams: The Tall Tales Tour (September 18, 2026, Miller Theater); Pat Metheny: Side-Eye III+ (September 19, 2026, Miller Theater); Undertale: The Determination Symphony (September 20, 2026, Marian Anderson Hall inside the Kimmel Center); Anthony Jeselnik: Wrath of Man (September 25– 26, 2026); and MAMMA MIA! (September 29–October 4, 2026, Academy of Music). 

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ABOUT BRIAN HENSON (Creator, Producer) Brian Henson is Chairman of the Board of The Jim Henson Company and an award-winning director, producer, writer, and puppeteer for film and television. His many credits include The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Return to Oz, Labyrinth, The Witches, Little Shop of Horrors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and Muppet Treasure Island as well as television projects like Dinosaurs, Muppets Tonight, Gulliver’s Travels, Bear in the Big Blue House, Farscape, and Sid the Science Kid. Henson most recently directed the wildly popular short film for Magic: The Gathering’s Lorwyn Eclipsed.  Highlighted producing credits for television include the Disney+ original series Earth to Ned, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (which he also directed), Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge (for which he also served as lead judge), and Jim Henson’s Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (which he co-wrote and directed). He also directed Battleground, an Emmy Award-winning episode of Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King for TNT and The Happytime Murders, starring Melissa McCarthy.

In 2005, he created Puppet Up! – Uncensored, which was named a top ten “Best Stage Show” by Entertainment Weekly.

ABOUT ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY
For more information about ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.        

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For photography, please visit www.ensembleartsphilly.smugmug.com.


Click here for a PDF version of this press release.