Mighty Nice

Political satirist and puppeteer Paul Zaloom unleashes his latest solo extravaganza, Mighty Nice. Told in Zaloom’s signature hyper low-tech style, the show employs intense and bizarre found object manipulation for three separate mini-shows: The Punch and Jimmy Show features hand puppets in the wild and ribald tradition of the 450-year-old “Punch and Judy Show”. In this updated version, incorrigible cad Punch, now gay and living with his boyfriend Jimmy and adopted baby Precious, deals with love, murder, law enforcement, and perhaps paying the consequences. Don’t! is a mock anti-drug presentation in the age-old form of cantastoria (story telling with pictures), hosted by a State Police Drug Information Officer and his compliant, drug-addled, life-size dummy pal, Billy. Issues such as property seizures without criminal convictions, incarceration statistics, and the demise of the 4th Amendment are turned into an uproarious, liberating amusement. 2222 is a frenetic, apocalyptic vision of the year 2222. This sci-fi fantasy glimpse into the glorious future wackily predicts ocean-front property in Kansas, intergalactic garbage disposal, animals growing human parts, Total Information Awareness, and the lonely life of the last wild fish.