-Brenda Hillegas
photo by Richard Termine
If you find yourself in NYC between now and July 28th, taking a trip to the HERE theatre to celebrate Bill’s 44th birthday would be an excellent idea.
Who is Bill? Well. He’s just a regular guy getting his apartment ready for all the guests he’s expecting to attend his birthday party. There are decorations, a veggie tray, a punch bowl that progressively gets more boozy, and a television set. If this all seems too ordinary, chances are you can relate- the way you anxiously await the knock at the door, fix your outfit and hair repeatedly, making sure everything is in place. But, this story is actually a little different and definitely worth an hour of your time (55 minutes with no intermission).
Bill’s 44th is a wordless puppet show for adults, with some really unique set pieces and a completely original recorded score. The play, by co-creators and puppeteers Andy Manjuck and Dorothy James, who also assist puppet Bill on stage, was originally commissioned by Dixon Place in NYC and received a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation for a run in October 2020. Because of the Covid pandemic, the show was postponed until June 2021 where it was allowed only a couple performances with audiences at 30% capacity, while being simultaneously live-streamed. Despite a limited run, Bill’s 44th was named a New York Times Critics Pick, has been presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival (2022), Oklahoma City Rep, the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts, the 2023 London International Mime Festival and the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it was named one of only three finalists for the OffFest Award for Theatre. Bill’s 44th will be returning to Edinburg in August!
Additional puppeteer Jon Riddleberger also performs in Bill’s 44th, catch him as the life-sized party carrot. Bill’s imagination spilled out onto the stage to also introduce audiences to a swarm of balloons, a VHS tape ready to put up a fight, and a mini Bill that audiences witness growing up over the years. All of this is operated by the puppeteers on stage and it’s impressive, creative, and unlike anything else you’ve seen.
You’ll leave the theatre thinking about your own birthdays, friendships, time alone, time together, and how quickly it can all pass by. Celebrate everything. Even if it’s just you and the punchbowl, because that still sounds like a great party.
Tickets ($10-$100) are available for advance purchase at https://here.org/shows/bills-44th/.
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