Robopocalypse: The Musical horror puppet show goes deeper than talking appliances

Photo by Sorrell Lalune

If there’s one thing that can rouse a varying degree of emotions, it’s puppets. Oregon-based theater company Puppeteers for Fears proves that yet again with their most recent comedy horror puppet show, Robopocalypse: The Musical!

Featuring eccentric sets and talking appliances in true cyberpunk aesthetic, Robopocalypse enters a new realm of uncharted territory in puppetry—and Kansas City is a stop on its summer 2026 tour. 

Puppeteers for Fears Artistic Director and Robopocalypse creator Josh Gross broke into the puppetry field after being asked to contribute to a friend’s Halloween show. 

“I had dabbled in playwriting for a while at this time, and she asked me to write something,” Gross says. “And she said it’s going to be a Halloween puppet show, which I thought somewhere in the back of my head, if it’s a horror puppet musical, that’s so weird, that could be lit.” 

After deliberating over a topic for his beginnings in puppet theater, Gross decided on the obvious: Serial killers. 

“It was Ritual Murder, The Musical, essentially a 15-minute satire of Silence of the Lambs,” Gross says. “And people really liked it.” 

Gross quickly realized the puppet horror musical niche was an untapped territory that seemed to appeal to the masses—and so began Puppeteers for Fears.

“What was supposed to be a one-night show for Halloween here in Ashland- capacity is like 45 people- and 160 showed up,” Gross says. “Then more showed up the next night, and then more the next night, and we’re like, I guess this is what we do now.” 

Photo by Sorrell Lalune

According to Gross, a big part of the puppet craze is the nostalgia associated with puppets mixed with the adult content his troupe adds.  

“A lot of people grew up liking the Muppets and similar properties, but the puppet shows didn’t age with them,” Gross says. “Muppets became more and more of children’s property, and people were like, I like this art form, it brings up nostalgia, but I want content that meets me where I’m at.” 

It’s easier for characters in puppet theater to broach difficult topics—another reason people are drawn to them, as Gross says the fluffy socks can soften hard blows. 

“Puppets allow you to address content that you wouldn’t be able to do with a normal human actor,” Gross says. “If a puppet says a risqué line, it doesn’t feel the same; it softens the blows that allow you to explore some topics that you might not be able to otherwise.” 

Gross utilizes this in most of his works, including Robopocalypse, with silly-looking puppets that allow him to impart deeper meanings into his writing. 

Between revolutionary cows and talking toasters, one main idea that Gross speaks to in his musical is dealing with family conflicts. 

Two of Robopocalypse’s main characters are a father-daughter duo who must work together to stop something they’ve created. 

“Two people are caught in a small space, and they kind of have to figure out how to work together,” Gross says. “But they also don’t know how to talk to each other and don’t know how to relate to each other, and that story is relatable; everyone has someone in their family that they’re like, ‘How do I talk to this person?’” 

Photo by Sorrell Lalune

These messages are surprising to most puppet show viewers, as Gross says audiences are shocked at how moving the shows are.

“If you’re going into a melodrama, you’re like, this is going to be a little bit weepy, like, oh look at that, here comes the sad part,” Gross says. “And you’re like, I’m expecting some silly puppets to use curse words, then you do have something that really hits you emotionally.” 

Robopocalypse audiences can expect this emotional rollercoaster on top of surprising plot points that make this experience so unique. 

“You usually don’t get an experience with a toaster having a rap battle with a talking car, or someone’s homemade robot being mad at them because you never finished their legs, going on to sing a whole song about how they’re planning to kill you.”

Robopocalypse: The Musical! will perform in Kansas City on Thursday, August 6 at 7 p.m. at recordBar. The full show soundtrack is available on Spotify.