Hey, This Was Really Fun!

Cabaret-just like a show, but without a significant amount of puppetry. This is a musical revue.

Doors open at 6:00 PM — 1.5 hours before the show — giving guests a special first look at Puppetry NOW: Noel MacNeal, our new exhibition celebrating one of puppetry's most beloved artists. Explore the beloved puppets, behind-the-scenes materials, and decades of unforgettable characters before the man himself takes the stage.

Then take your seats as Noel MacNeal (Little Shop of Horrors, Bear in the Big Blue House, Sesame Street, Between the Lions, Eureeka's Castle, Last Week Tonight) brings his hit New York City solo concert, fresh from his triumphant debut at 54 Below to the Vince Anthony Founders Theater. Hey, This Was Really Fun! tells his life and the lessons he's learned as a little pink bird, a baby dragon, a ninja turtle, a precocious inner-city kid, a lion cub, a profane squirrel, a bear in a big blue house, and on occasion a very big bird — plus all the monsters, grouches, talking food, writing, directing, producing, and appearances along the way. The show also features a musical mix including Sinatra, Billy Joel, and many favorites from throughout Noel's remarkable career.

NOEL MACNEAL is a two-time Emmy Award-winning director, performer, and puppeteer whose work has shaped children's television and contemporary puppetry for decades. He is best known as the performer behind Bear in Disney's Bear in the Big Blue House and Lionel on PBS's Between the Lions, and brought his artistry to Sesame Street, Eureeka's Castle, and The Puzzle Place. He currently serves as a resident puppeteer on HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. His directing work on Sesame Street earned him two Daytime Emmy Awards. On stage, Noel made his Broadway debut in Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests The Muppets and periodically performs Off-Broadway as Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors.

Noel is also the creator of THE SHOW ME SHOW, an inclusive puppetry series developed for autistic and special needs children, reflecting his ongoing commitment to accessibility, communication, and joy through puppetry. Following a triumphant solo debut at 54 Below in New York City, Noel brings his hit concert Hey, This Was Really Fun! — a musical journey through his life, his characters, and the lessons they've taught him — to the Vince Anthony Founders Theater stage.