"Thirsty for the Limelight: An Original Puppet Musical"
Planet Ant Theatre
Hamtramck, Mich.
June 26, 2025
“Dante’s ‘Inferno’ with puppet divas and cocaine” is a fairly apt, self-proclaimed description of “Thirsty for the Limelight: An Original Puppet Musical,” which played at Hamtramck’s Planet Ant Theatre for just one night on Thursday. The LA-based traveling show is an R-rated comedy musical with puppets highlighting the drive, ruthlessness and challenges of making it in show business.
The production features a small cast with actors mostly dressed in black, appearing on stage with their puppets, à la “Avenue Q.” Combining puppetry, singing, clowning and burlesque, it follows Esmerelda the Puppet, a washed-up cabaret singer trying to find success. Singing the blues and down on her luck, she meets Shmiza Shminnelli (a play off of legendary musical theater actress Liza Minelli), her fairy diva godmother here to guide her on her journey. Shmiza is currently in Limbo and needs to help Esmerelda to pass on and get her wings – hence the “Inferno” reference.
Adding a touch of “The Wizard of Oz,” they journey to Limelight in the Land of Showbizz in search of a producer. Once there, they encounter a cast of struggling performers, including a cringe-worthy comedian, a sell-out chef who mentions his sponsors in every sentence, and a bodysuit, red nose-clad silent clown — all Esmerelda’s former lovers who have pined for her ever since. Esmerelda has no interest in them as she journeys to the top, with the real challenge overcoming the sexy, devil-like ruler of Showbizz, Anne Ziety, and her demon minion Doubt. In a confidence-building burlesque dance-off, Esmerelda finds her self-worth and finally achieves her dreams and lives happily ever after.
The intimate show was highly interactive. At the top of the performance, one of the actors warmed us up with guidance on how to cheer and instructed us to cross our arms in front of our bodies if we didn’t want to be touched by the actors. As the play ensued, we were encouraged to raise our arms to transport the puppets on a roller coaster to Showbizz (which was pretty fun) or wave them to the music. A sitcom-style applause sign let us know when cheers should be ramped up, and puppets regularly came down to the audience to sit among us. My favorite interactive element, however, is when we were all given felt tomatoes to throw at the comedian.
Musically, “Thirsty for Limelight” covered a mix of existing songs, like “That’s Life” and “My Way,” a fun parody of “Chicago’s” “When You’re Good to Mama,” and catchy original songs, all in puppet voices.
While a bit vulgar for my taste, the show is delightfully weird but definitely not for everyone (and certainly not for kids). It’s a fun take on the ruthlessness of the entertainment industry, ultimately concluding that you need both a cutthroat mindset and self-confidence to succeed.
This is not a show for those seeking a relaxing, pleasant night at the theater. It’s a high-energy, interactive acid trip where audience members are expected to cheer, dance, throw fake tomatoes and perhaps engage in a thigh-slapping bit, and not participating will mark you as a lone party pooper. If you’re into raunchy, comedic puppetry with songs, “Limelight” is the musical for you.
