It takes a special kind of chutzpah, not to say cojones, to make a career doing magic tricks in the nude for strangers the world over, but that’s exactly what Simon Morley and Dave Friend have done. By twisting, stretching and contorting their intimate anatomy into quite recognizable shapes, such as a hamburger, or the Eiffel tower, they have entertained millions. They call it genital origami.
Strange to say, the two men were both earning cash by their private–part creativity before they banded together in their hometown of Melbourne, Australia, to create the worldwide phenomenon called Puppetry of the Penis. Friend had a thriving business as a party entertainer, and Morely had produced an art calendar of 12 different installations, or “dick tricks”, to use their term.
From there they went on to tour their country and the world, and their story is a classic example of what can happen when two industrious and determined people with a unique talent set out to make a living. They and their show are to Australia what Guy Laliberte and Cirque du Soleil are to Quebec, but the acrobatics are waaay more intimate. Hairier, too.
After touring their own nation in a Volkswagen van to sold–out audiences and prestigious awards, they went international and performed a sold–out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festical. Sorry, festival. After that they took London’s West End by storm, toured Canada, including a feature guest spot at the Just for Laughs Festival, before a two–year run on Broadway.
Having attained notoriety the world over, the pair became penis impresarios by hiring new talent to expand the franchise. Chris Cannon and Rich Binning are the North American team. College buddies from Pittsburgh’s Point Park University, they honed their performance skills earning BFAs in Musical Theatre.
“Chris had seen the show years ago, and bought the book,” said Binning. “We learned how to do a few of the tricks for parties, and we became kind of known around school for it. We never imagined it would become our career. It’s an unexpected dream come true.”
