The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • AAT9

-Composite Proof 0:11 0:00 ONSTAGE ONSTAGE By BRET LOVE For accessAtlanta JASON HINES AND JON LUDWIG are behind Da an adult-oriented show at the Center for Puppetry Arts that imagines Leonardo da Vinci as an inventor by day and a crime-fighting superhero by night. But Hines, the puppet designer, till now has been better known for his punk-rock puppet show, Spouting Ozzy-level expletives and kicking jams like a hundred Blink-182s, raucous band of marionettes turned conventional puppetry on its ear, everything from indie-rock nightclubs and wrestling matches to short-play festival, 1 2 by Puppetry is typically thought of as a child-oriented medium. What inspired you to try your hand at more adult fare? always done adult-oriented things, primarily because I have a filthy mouth. I realized I probably be doing shows, because I mature enough yet. There was one show I did called Got A Puppet In My which was really cute and funny, but all the puppets came out of my pants and people complained about it.

Whenever you see something for mature audiences only, usually the most juvenile, sophomoric thing you can imagine. How has the unique success of impacted your career? Clobber definitely got my name out there more than I ever thought it would. It was really just a five-minute party trick, but everybody wanted to book it. I was going out to rock roll clubs, and living out my high school fantasy of being a punk-rock guy. Do you feel any pressure as you step into the spotlight with Da Seeing the tiny scrap of an idea I had about Leonardo da Vinci being a superhero turned into this giant production is sorta mind-boggling.

always liked comics, and one of the things that led to the show was my living in New York, unemployed, copying comics and da Vinci drawings. It all just came together one day, when I realized they were essentially the same thing. THE 411: Da Through Aug. 22. 8 p.m.

Thursday-Saturdays, 5 p.m. Sundays. Center for Puppetry Arts Downstairs Theater, 1404 Spring Midtown. 404-873-3391, www.puppet.org. TUGGING THE STRINGS Jason Hines and Jon Ludwig give a famous painter super-size treatment in Da puppet act Center for Puppetry Arts Jason Hines, known for his punk-rock puppet show helps turn Leonardo da Vinci into a crime-fighting superhero in an adult-oriented production at the Center for Puppetry Arts.

RAATL0812TL9 A Access Atlanta Plan A Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004 Page 9 Zone A SEE THESE SHOWS LAST CHANCE The tunes are the thing in this wiggy musical revue getting a reprise at Theatrical Outfit. As the title implies, tall but shallow saluting girl groups with all the depth of a Vegas fountain, sending up the pop culture that spawned hits such as the Fine Brenda Lesley My and Tina is mostly a diverting splash in a shallow pool of nostalgia. Its more serious moments work less well. To which we say, so what? Tom Sabulis THE 411: 7:30 tonight- Saturday; 2:30 p.m.

Sunday. Theatrical Outfit at the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, 80 Forsyth St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-651-4727, www.theatricaloutfit.org. ONGOING QUEENS, ONE Tells the real-life story of singer Jevetta Steele, tracking her marriage, her fame and her discovery that her husband was HIV-positive and, later, gay.

She wrote it to exorcise her demons and to get African- Americans talking about the twin taboos of homosexuality and bisexuality, so black men feel the need to hide in marriage. Does it work? Yes, and no. The cast led by Atlanta favorite Chandra Currelley in the Steele role, T.C. Carson as Husband and Jahi Kearse as Lover is terrifically talented. But the set and costumes look cut-rate and the story is told in an oblique way, while the score ranges from seductive to silly.

Kathy Janich THE 411: Through Aug. 29. 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays; 8:30 p.m. Saturdays; 5 p.m.

Sundays; and 3 p.m. this Saturday only. Horizon Theatre, 1083 Austin Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404584-7450, www.horizontheatre.com..