Randy is a bald, bright purple Australian stand-up puppet with a really quick wit and a sharp tongue. In
A fantastic way to liven up your evening in an unusual and very, very funny way.
Particular highlights from the show include his three minute biography of Ernest Hemingway, his story on Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman and a long and side-splittingly funny story about picking up a bookshelf from Gumtree. Puppeteer Heath McIvor does a fantastic job of making this very simple puppet come to life, to the point where one occasionally forgets that he’s not just a peculiar-looking little guy. His delivery is ridiculously funny, and the use of puppetry for what is essentially just a stand-up set somehow results in a much freer- and consequently funnier- act, as audience members aren’t making instant judgements based on appearance and body language. Randy responds with lightning-quick wit to hecklers, turning comments into opportunities for funny stories and remarks. Prone to outbursts, Randy is unpredictable and quirky, yet also has a deeper, more philosophical side, as shown in his musings about the meaning of art and the point of artistic legacy.
Full of amusing anecdotes and intelligent points, delivered in an explosive and hilarious manner, Randy the literary puppet had his audience roaring with laughter from beginning to end. McIvor is clearly very intelligent and talented, somehow masterfully coordinating a top quality stand-up act with manoeuvring a puppet in such a convincing and lifelike way. He seemed very present and responsive to his audience, despite being incapable of even seeing them. I found myself laughing uncontrollably on numerous occasions, and the hour flew by. Randy is a fantastic way to liven up your evening in an unusual and very, very funny way.
