Gisele Vienne and Dennis Cooper, last heard from at OtB back in November with JERK, just made an appearance on KCRW's program Bookworm. They're quite a charming pair and have interesting things to say about their work- I'd recommend giving it a listen.

Check out what the local press had to say about JERK at OtB: Seattle PI (preview) – Hand puppets do the dirty work in telling the disturbing tale of 'Jerk' Seattle PI – Troubling 'Jerk' reveals the real puppets Seattle Times – Theater review | There's little redemption for violent "Jerk" at OTB

Welcome to our review blog for JERK. Read our patron reviews, click on the Comments button to read the comments of others and post your own thoughts.

I remember being 16 in 1974. Skinny, long hair like Aerosmith. With no job or no cash. I would hitch a ride when I missed the bus which was every day. At least half of the rides I would get were from someone with an agenda. An excuse, "My girlfriend got me all worked up, I really want to suck your dick..." I didn't feel threatened, it was flattering really. A well dressed man in his 40's picking up a wet teenager in a his Porsche. "Let's go to my house...". It wasn't my kind of thing.

In this show, one performer creates vivid scenes of the most horrifying acts of violence using just a few little hand puppets. I had been warned that it was a dark performance and I was excited to see it. I was full of curiosity about where a storyteller would be able to take us using a method like this. But as soon as it started, my curiosity was satisfied and my instincts of self preservation and personal safety took over. First of all - I had not adequately prepared my girlfriend who was sitting next to me, expecting to be delighted by the novelty of an avant garde puppet show.

Gisele Vienne's JERK, written by American poet Dennis Cooper, tells the true story of Houston serial killer and necropedophiliac Dean Corll, through the eyes of one of his teenage accomplices, David Brooks. Brooks, superbly played by Jonathan Capdevielle, re-enacts stories of Corll's conquests (he killed at least 27 boys and had sex with their dismembered corpses) through the use of hand puppets. The puppets are cathartic to Brooks, who attempts to come to a new understanding of his deeds through the reenactments.

Have a listen as Lane, our artistic director, talks with Gisele about JERK: Click here to listen [mp3]