Sharp one-liners and insults (both delightfully tongue in cheek and wickedly rude) abound in Conrad Koch’s new show.

Victims include Justin Nurse, his poor wife, politicians, celebrities and Koch himself. Well, what do you expect if your puppets think you mistreat them?

Puppet Asylum take place in, well, an asylum, where ventriloquist Koch is apparently helping his puppets with mental therapy, after famed puppet political analyst Chester Missing detonates on national television with a barrage of choice expletives. The puppets now need to learn how to behave in front of a test audience before being let out in the world again but fail miserably, much to the audiences’ delight.

Missing has a huge chip on his shoulder, clearly thinks everyone else in the world is beneath him and only wants his own show, while former celebrity show girl and current alcoholic, Hilary the ostrich, wants her career back, a stiff drink… and to bed Justin Nurse. Ronnie, the half dragon and the third puppet in the asylum only really wants to pee, something Koch unfortunately does not allow…

Koch’s ability to manipulate the puppets with near life-like movements while having a dialogue with himself is quite amazing and you keeps forgetting that there is only one person on the stage.

Great fun - tears of laughter were streaming down my face during parts of the performance - but not a show for young kids.

Performances are Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8:15pm from 10- 28 January 2012 at the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio. Tickets on Tuesdays cost R50, Wednesday and Thursday R80, Friday and Saturday

Have you seen Puppet Asylum? Please share your opinion below.

Jeremy Abbott is a born and bred Capetonian and loves everything about Cape Town,

except the southeaster, traffic jams, taxis... the list goes on... and so does he...

Add Jeremy to your circles on Google+