Monkey Boys Productions is a two time Emmy nominated production company that creates puppets, props, creatures, costumes, practical effects and original content for film, television and stage. Located near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, they work with companies and productions across the globe.
The company was originally founded in 2006 [1] by Marc Petrosino, Michael Latini, Russell Tucker, and Scott Hitz. Over the company's first nine years, they designed and built puppets for assorted theatrical productions, theme parks, streaming shows, and independent films. During this time, Russell and Scott moved on to other pursuits, leaving Marc and Michael to run the company.
Before the company's founding, Marc and Michael had performed in assorted productions of Little Shop of Horrors (including Broadway and the 1st National Tour). Their friend and mentor, Martin P. Robinson (the father of theatrical Audrey IIs), encouraged MBP building their own set of Audrey II puppets, which they continue to rent to theaters across North America. In 2015, Saturday Night Live rented those puppets for use in a sketch which was cut from the show. This introduction led to MBP eventually becoming the regular puppet and specialized prop builders for SNL, including the lecterns for the series of Melissa McCarthy sketches spoofing Sean Spicer. [2]
Monkey Boys Productions' work on SNL led to the company evolving from a puppet-centric company into one that specializes in designing, fabricating, and producing practical items. In the years since, MBP has created puppets and props for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon , The Today Show , Last Week Tonight with John Oliver , Late Night with Jimmy Fallon , Mystery Science Theater 3000 , Late Night with Seth Meyers , Pose , Albie's Elevator for PBS, [3] and many commercials. Monkey Boys Productions has been nominated for two Emmys for their puppet design and fabrication for the Sesame Workshop series Helpsters on Apple TV+. [4]
They have also worked extensively on Broadway, creating props and puppets for The Music Man , Amélie, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Mr. Saturday Night , Skin of Our Teeth , Diana , Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus , and others. Recently, they worked with designer Nicholas Mahon to create new Audrey II puppets for the current production of Little Shop of Horrors playing at the Westside Theatre. [5]
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, screenwriter and producer.
The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 American horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about a florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human blood. The film stars Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, and Dick Miller, who had all worked for Corman on previous films. Produced under the title The Passionate People Eater, the film employs an original style of humor, combining dark comedy with farce and incorporating Jewish humor and elements of spoof. The Little Shop of Horrors was shot on a budget of $28,000. Interiors were shot in two days, by utilizing sets that had been left standing from A Bucket of Blood.
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Ira W. Meltcher, known by the stage name Mel Welles, was an American actor, voice artist and film director. He was best known to for his work with filmmaker Roger Corman, most notably as hapless flower shop owner Gravis Mushnick in the original 1960 film version of The Little Shop of Horrors. He also had a prolific career as an English-language dubber, mainly in the Italian film industry.
Little Shop of Horrors is a horror comedy rock musical with music by Alan Menken and lyrics and a book by Howard Ashman. The story follows a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. The musical is loosely based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors. The music, composed by Menken in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and early Motown, includes several well-known tunes, including the title song, "Skid Row (Downtown)", "Somewhere That's Green", and "Suddenly, Seymour".
Little Shop of Horrors is a 1986 American horror comedy musical film directed by Frank Oz. It is an adaptation of the 1982 off-Broadway musical of the same name by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, which is itself an adaptation of the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors by director Roger Corman. The film, which centers on a floral shop worker who discovers a sentient carnivorous plant that feeds on human blood, stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, and the voice of Levi Stubbs. The film also features special appearances by Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, and Bill Murray. It was produced by David Geffen through The Geffen Company and released by Warner Bros. on December 19, 1986. It grossed $39 million domestically and $15 million internationally for a worldwide total of $54 million.
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