With their riotous Rocky IX, the puppets of the Prague-based troupe Buchty a Loutky have taken the action-film concept to places Hollywood would never dare to go. Buchty a Loutky's stage design, reminiscent of Svankmeyer animations, and their broad strokes of colorful 1970s cinema style are worthy of their own Anglo-Euro buzz verb — "loutking," derived from loutky, the Czech word for puppet.

When the monkey wrench slams the stadium bell signaling Rocky IX's opening act, the loutking around begins, with animated puppets and live actors taking the stage for hilarious and compassionate revelry. Even with dialogue that's mostly in Czech, Rocky IX's vivid exploration of dramatic dilemmas as old as humanity itself is easy enough to follow.

Early on in the play, when Rocky's anthropomorphic pin-up locker bashes the fledgling boxer into the ground, it's clear that Rocky's situation is in a downward spin. Even his doctor's attempt to cook him a magic hamburger, which fills the theater with the smell of roasted meat, can't bring poor Rocky back into shape. When a gold-chain-heavy boxing promoter offers his only ray of hope, and when Rocky attempts to reconcile with a girlfriend who is less than enthusiastic about boxing, it's all easy enough to understand.

In contrast to the existential drama, Rocky IX's subplots populate the stage with gravity-defying nude buxom beauties and stuffed animals hustling to get a slice of the action. All this is laced with lush and haunting dream sequences. During one brutal boxing scene that should satisfy the most sadistic of professional wrestling fans, what looks like puppet body parts fly into the audience. Before the mayhem ends, a transvestite cheerleader is urging the last round to escalate.

When the puppets finally morph into live boxers slugging it out directly in front of the stage, the poetry of boxing's ultimate message is revealed. But the transcendence of the grand finale needs to be experienced firsthand. Suffice it to say that the unique experience of Rocky IX will not only provide a lot of laughs, but leave you with something to think about.

Watching this glorious raucousness, one can't help but be amazed at the effectiveness of simple theater craft, with mere puppets blowing away anything Sylvester Stallone has delivered recently. Under the spell of Rocky IX, surround sound, multiplex cinemas and the avalanche of satellite TV programs can all seem like lesser powers.

Rocky IX is part of a repertoire that includes sendups of The Magnificent 7 and Gilgamesh for adults, and pieces like Three Little Piglets for children. Buckty a Loutky has toured internationally with more than 18 children's productions and 16 adult works, including a performance of Rocky IX in Washington, D.C., in 2004 that received a cool reception — apparently a Stars and Stripes satire didn't fly in the U.S. capital. But it won a coveted Erik award that same year in the Czech Republic, boosting Buchty a Loutky's reputation as a heavyweight among regional puppet theater troupes.