Puppeteers for Fears presents Cattle Mutilation: The Musical
PUPPETEERS FOR FEARS RETURNS TO SAN FRANCISCO ON JULY 28th WITH ITS NEW SHOW CATTLE MUTILATION: THE MUSICAL!
Puppeteers for Fears, the world’s greatest puppet rock band and comedy troupe, will return to San Francisco to perform its hit show, Cattle Mutilation: The Musical, at the Hotel Utah Saloon on Sunday, July 28.
Puppeteers for Fears was founded in 2015 and creates original horror and science fiction musical comedies with puppets and a live band. Equal parts rock band, and comedic powerhouse, the company has sold out theaters up and down the west coast with witty writing, electrifying acting, and anthemic original songs. PFF’s sold-out 2018 west coast tour of Cthulhu: the Musical! (the last time the company performed in San Francisco) was written up as “some next-level puppet shit,” in publications like Bloody Disgusting, Syfy Wire, The Portland Mercury, and Broadway World.
For the summer 2019 tour, the company is performing its original feature length comedy, Cattle Mutilation: the Musical! an irreverent take on sasquatch and UFOs performed with elaborate, custom hand-and-rod puppets and a live surf-rock band that tells the story of two dueling parent child relationships (one from Earth, and another from the Crab Nebula) and what happens when they all get mixed up on a late-night search for Bigfoot. It is an expected combination of belly-laughs, heart, and catchy pop hooks that combine as both a loving homage to campy pulp sci-fi, and something wholly original.
The action is performed entirely with hand-and-rod (or Muppet-style) puppets, inside of a custom-built puppet house outfitted with lights and projections to create a fully-immersive world with interactive multimedia sets.
The show’s original score will be performed live by up-and-coming indie-pop group Derek Deon and the Vaughns, (Derek Deon on guitar, Dylan James Vaughn on bass, Helen-Thea Thomas on keyboards), who will also perform a brief set of their original material to open the show.
“Playing with Puppeteers for Fears has been one of the most fantastically unique and varied gigging experiences I’ve ever had,” says Deon. ”If you haven’t been to a PFF show, you definitely haven’t ever seen anything like it.”
The music itself brings an a-typical energy and style to the musical theater genre, as the songs’ composer, Josh Gross, has a background not in the smooth librettos of Gilbert and Sullivan, but the fist-pumping anthems of punk rock.
“Musical theater often has great songs that don't stick with you the same way pop or rock tunes do,” says Gross. “Writing for Cattle Mutilation, I did a lot of research on why certain pop songs stick in your head, and incorporated those principles while composing, while trying to keep that more spirited pop approach intact..”
Additionally, Gross mined the history of rock for sounds and styles to match the play’s themes.
“Most of the show is set on a flying saucer, so the music needed to match that vibe,” says Gross. “I pulled a lot of ideas from spage-age jazz and surf guitar, and blended them with the two-step bounce that makes musicals so peppy. But there's also a pretty epic power ballad. This may be a comedy show, but it will definitely leave the audience singing.”
The show’s original soundtrack will be available at all performances, and the music video for its debut single, “Bigfoot’s Lament,” has been featured in four film festivals.
After the performance in San Francisco, Puppeteers for Fears will continue on its five-state tour of the western U.S. Complete dates are below.
Cattle Mutilation: The Musical was written and composed by Josh Gross, and directed by Katy Curtis. It stars Reece Bredl, Hunter Prutch, Lauren Taylor, Alex Giorgi, and Forrest Gilpin. Music will be performed by Derek Deon and the Vaughns.
Puppeteers for Fears presents Cattle Mutilation: The Musical
PUPPETEERS FOR FEARS RETURNS TO SAN FRANCISCO ON JULY 28th WITH ITS NEW SHOW CATTLE MUTILATION: THE MUSICAL!
Puppeteers for Fears, the world’s greatest puppet rock band and comedy troupe, will return to San Francisco to perform its hit show, Cattle Mutilation: The Musical, at the Hotel Utah Saloon on Sunday, July 28.
Puppeteers for Fears was founded in 2015 and creates original horror and science fiction musical comedies with puppets and a live band. Equal parts rock band, and comedic powerhouse, the company has sold out theaters up and down the west coast with witty writing, electrifying acting, and anthemic original songs. PFF’s sold-out 2018 west coast tour of Cthulhu: the Musical! (the last time the company performed in San Francisco) was written up as “some next-level puppet shit,” in publications like Bloody Disgusting, Syfy Wire, The Portland Mercury, and Broadway World.
For the summer 2019 tour, the company is performing its original feature length comedy, Cattle Mutilation: the Musical! an irreverent take on sasquatch and UFOs performed with elaborate, custom hand-and-rod puppets and a live surf-rock band that tells the story of two dueling parent child relationships (one from Earth, and another from the Crab Nebula) and what happens when they all get mixed up on a late-night search for Bigfoot. It is an expected combination of belly-laughs, heart, and catchy pop hooks that combine as both a loving homage to campy pulp sci-fi, and something wholly original.
The action is performed entirely with hand-and-rod (or Muppet-style) puppets, inside of a custom-built puppet house outfitted with lights and projections to create a fully-immersive world with interactive multimedia sets.
The show’s original score will be performed live by up-and-coming indie-pop group Derek Deon and the Vaughns, (Derek Deon on guitar, Dylan James Vaughn on bass, Helen-Thea Thomas on keyboards), who will also perform a brief set of their original material to open the show.
“Playing with Puppeteers for Fears has been one of the most fantastically unique and varied gigging experiences I’ve ever had,” says Deon. ”If you haven’t been to a PFF show, you definitely haven’t ever seen anything like it.”
The music itself brings an a-typical energy and style to the musical theater genre, as the songs’ composer, Josh Gross, has a background not in the smooth librettos of Gilbert and Sullivan, but the fist-pumping anthems of punk rock.
“Musical theater often has great songs that don't stick with you the same way pop or rock tunes do,” says Gross. “Writing for Cattle Mutilation, I did a lot of research on why certain pop songs stick in your head, and incorporated those principles while composing, while trying to keep that more spirited pop approach intact..”
Additionally, Gross mined the history of rock for sounds and styles to match the play’s themes.
“Most of the show is set on a flying saucer, so the music needed to match that vibe,” says Gross. “I pulled a lot of ideas from spage-age jazz and surf guitar, and blended them with the two-step bounce that makes musicals so peppy. But there's also a pretty epic power ballad. This may be a comedy show, but it will definitely leave the audience singing.”
The show’s original soundtrack will be available at all performances, and the music video for its debut single, “Bigfoot’s Lament,” has been featured in four film festivals.
After the performance in San Francisco, Puppeteers for Fears will continue on its five-state tour of the western U.S. Complete dates are below.
Cattle Mutilation: The Musical was written and composed by Josh Gross, and directed by Katy Curtis. It stars Reece Bredl, Hunter Prutch, Lauren Taylor, Alex Giorgi, and Forrest Gilpin. Music will be performed by Derek Deon and the Vaughns.
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