Subjected to the light of day, Sarah Palin doesn't look like a maverick at all.
Ronald Taylor is one of perhaps hundreds of innocent people Harris County has put in prison.
Sloppy U.S. government paperwork is putting the lives of asylum seekers at risk.
Morley discovered his gift for "genital gesticulations" after sibling rivalry led him to try to outdo his brother, who introduced him to the show's trademark "installation," The Hamburger. Friend stumbled upon his penchant for playing with himself the way most guys do -- leisurely handling himself in the tub. But unlike your average working stiffs, these two turned their hobby into a profession. The penis puppeteers take their gifts seriously -- and why shouldn't they? The demand for their expertise is so great that they're planning a worldwide tour and have been seeking like-minded practitioners. (Participation requirements, according to the Web site www.puppetryofthepenis.com, are a "flexible working attitude" and a "complete lack of shame.")
Wearing nothing but a cape, socks, and sneakers, Morley and Friend take their pliable genitals -- not just the penis, but the testicles and scrotum, too -- to town, stretching, twisting, and otherwise coaxing their packages into more than 40 surprising forms, much like a clown conjuring a dachshund from a skinny balloon. (For the local engagement, the two are considering the addition of a site-specific installation -- Coit Tower, the Transamerica Pyramid, or Lombard Street, for example.) Their creations are projected onto a screen onstage, for those desiring an up-close-and-personal look at their genitalia twisted into, say, the Loch Ness Monster, or a sea anemone, or the Eiffel Tower.
It remains to be seen whether an hour of dick tricks -- supplemented by little more than a live stand-up comedy set and an introduction from Priapus, "God of the Penis" -- will endure or fall flat. Regardless, it won't take much of a stretch to enjoy the show, provided you come with an open mind. These guys don't purport to do anything but provide silly entertainment. Morley and Friend have balls, and after seeing Puppetry of the Penis, you'll never see those balls in the same light again.