Show Summary
🌌 Puppet Wars: A Few Hope
May 15 – 30, 2015
The Playhouse on the Park Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
A long time ago… in a galaxy filled with duct tape, glow sticks, and dangerously low budgets… the All Puppet Players boldly attempted the unthinkable: a show for kids.
Puppet Wars: A Few Hope was APP’s first (and short-lived) experiment in family-friendly programming. Marketed to both children and the adults who once were them, this sci-fi parody mashed up Star Wars with every other pop-culture reference it could squeeze into a lightsaber fight. The result? A chaotic, Muppet-style retelling of Episode IV, complete with costume-clad humans, puppet mashups, and a homemade X-Wing finale that brought down the (dog igloo) house.
Luke was a Muppet-style dog. Leia was a kitten. Han Solo shot Guido, not Greedo. And Chewbacca had full dialogue, including “Deal with it, nerds!” From Spock to Siri, HAL 9000 to Rihanna-singing-Tarkin, no sci-fi property was safe. Glow sticks became lightsabers. Dome homes were made from backyard pet furniture. And yes, kids were invited to build their own puppets and join the Cantina scene live.
But this wasn’t your average all-ages show. APP couldn’t resist its signature edge. While the show avoided full-on filth, it proudly tiptoed the PG line—complete with swears, innuendo, and a now-legendary line about “sniffing Leia’s buns” that somehow passed for family fare (depending on the family). Reviews noted the show’s blend of wild sight gags, cheap props, and genuine Star Wars love, calling it “lowbrow, low-budget, utterly shameless” in the best possible way.
Not every puppet was alone on stage. For the first time, APP fused puppets with costumed human performers—a full-size Darth Vader (whiny and unthreatening) and a perfectly awkward C-3PO who looked like he wandered in from a clearance bin at Party City. It was part Muppet Show, part fan con, part fever dream.
Ultimately, Puppet Wars was a labor of love and lunacy. It proved APP could skewer sacred properties without losing heart, even if the family-friendly model didn’t stick. It was a galaxy-sized swing—and we wouldn’t change a frame.
Performances ran:
May 15 – 30, 2015
The Playhouse on the Park Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
(Glow sticks ignited. Buns were sniffed. The felt was strong with this one.)
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