Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventure

Concept, Book & Lyrics by Music, Arrangements & Lyrics by Ben Langhorst
Directed by Sammy Zeisel
Presented by The Bushwick Starr in association with ¡Oye! Group
February 4-28, 2026 line producing for The Bushwick Starr, 2026.

Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventure is a new puppet musical that follows Gooey, an orphaned sorta mermaid living in Newtown Creek and searching for family. Amidst the backdrop of a near apocalyptic Brooklyn, Gooey embarks on an epic journey to entertainment and tech giant G’wond’rLand’s Theme Park. Along the way Gooey encounters a streetwise rat, a severed arm, anthropomorphised toxic sludge, a couple’a wiseguys, and the truth of how she came to be. Situated somewhere between Sweet Charity, The Sopranos, The Wiz, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and 80's body horror, GOOEY disgusts and delights in equal measure as it examines the difficulty of finding true belonging in a gentrifying New York City.

SELECT PRESS COVERAGE

Witty and bright…the performances of both human and puppet characters are delightful: witty, arch, and cartoonish in the best sense. - exeunt

Sammy Zeisel’s smart, puppet-driven staging and La Daniella and Ben Langhorst’s swanky throwback score keep the good-natured energy ever-aloft…da best love letter to a rotting city in town. - Theatermania

…a joyous love letter to whimsy and weirdness with a homemade aesthetic and tiny but mighty ensemble that
are constantly stealing the scenes from one another. - 3Views

The first musical I’ve supported in almost 7 years, and a total privilege.

FEATURING: AMANDA CENTENO, la daniella,sushma saha, jon schneidman, león tak

music director: jon schneidman
scenic design: cat raynor
costume designn: hahnji jang
lighting design: kyle stamm
sound design: kathy ruvuna
puppet design: gaby febland
props & asst Scenic Design: jonathan schatzberg
choreographer: maya quetzali gonzalez
production stage manager: sarah jones
asst stage manager: anica acuña
assoc line producer: leah plante-wiener

Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventure was developed through Lincoln Center, Peabody Essex Museum, Hubbard Hall, and Bethany Arts Center.

Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventureis made with support from: the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, The Puffin Foundation, Puppeteers of America, the Edith Lutyens and Norman Bel Geddes Design Enhancement Fund through A.R.T./New York, The Anna Sosenko Assist Trust and Materials for the Arts.