Earthquakes! Asteroids! Donald Trump!
An Armageddon-obsessed puppeteer will present an evening of satirical shows about life after the Trump administration inspired by disaster movies like “World War Z” and “Deep Impact.” But “America’s Greatest Disaster Movie Ever! A Puppet Cabaret,” opening at Brick Theater on July 1, is actually an upbeat show, said the show’s director — after all, humanity always survives at the end of the movie!
“I had this idea since the election because I was really fascinated with America’s obsession with disaster and disaster movies in general, and I was thinking ‘Well, if Trump is a disaster movie in-the-making, then that means that as humankind we should emerge together at end of this,’ ” said puppeteer Jeanette Yew. “This show is kind of an optimistic view through this idea of disaster movies.”
She and three other puppeteers will each present shows of about 20 minutes during the cabaret, using a wide variety of puppetry formats.
The acts include Drew Weinstein’s “The Single Greatest History Museum in the World,” starring the preserved brain of Donald Trump looking back on his accomplishments; “Three Little Men In A Boat,” a parody of “Jaws” by Scott Weber and the Drama of Works company; and “Apocalypse Address,” a presidential speech about the end of the world, by Andrew Murdock.
Yew herself will present the shadow-puppet disaster film “America’s Greatest Disaster Movie,” which will conclude the show. The story and format are a perfect fit, she said.
“The puppet medium is great for disaster stories because you can destroy anything easily,” said Yew.
But despite the destruction and death that happens on the screen, Yew hopes her parody film will inspire people to work together during the Trump years, just like a band of scientists and deep sea drillers teaming up to stop an asteroid.
“A lot of parody is a lens into what our political system is right now and our current condition,” she said. “But I want people to feel positive about it and I want people to feel that there is something we can do about this situation.”
“America’s Greatest Disaster Movie Ever! A Puppet Cabaret” at Brick Theater [579 Metropolitan Ave. between Lorimer Street and Union Avenue in Williamsburg, (718) 907–6189, www.brick
