Name another ventriloquist going around at the moment. Can’t do it? Well that’s because, even if there was enough of a demand for it, David Strassman has entirely claimed ownership of this niche within the entertainment industry with his comedic and technological ingenuity. With nearly 30 years experience as the world’s top comedic ventriloquist, he refuses to let his act grow stale, by continuously creating new characters and adding technological features to his shows. No ventriloquist now, nor in the future will ever escape from being compared to David Strassman.
The ‘Get Chuck’d’ Tour sees the introduction of two new characters. They are, Fred, Ted E Bear’s racist grandfather; and the somewhat frustrated A.N.G.E.L, who is the result of David designing the perfect woman (she’s a robot). Along with old favourites, Sid the beaver and Kevin the Martian, all supporting the stars of the show – the loveable, huggable (and crowd favourite) Ted E Bear and the one you love to hate, Chuck Wood.
The plot, if you like, starts off with Chuck upsetting Dave by confessing he’s been seeing another ventriloquist. This is closely followed by Ted E Bear dobbing on Chuck for something that is obviously inconceivable, even for a puppet as manipulative (and at times slightly evil) as Chuck. It’s much like what we’ve come to expect from these two, as their personalities have been so clearly defined over the years. However, predictability is another thing David Strassman steers clear of, as soon we see that Chuck has discovered the power of entering other puppet’s minds and the show takes an unexpected turn.
It is more difficult to remember the storyline that linked it all together than the individual gags, which is a sign, to me, of a truly funny show. What is easy to forget, is that there is only one living, breathing creature up there on the stage! David Strassman brings the characters to life, with even the slightest change in tone or movement creating a believable sense of emotion from his otherwise inanimate sidekicks. After a quick glance to see if you can see any lips moving, then after being amazed that you can’t, it is straight back to staring at the puppets intently. David Strassman can switch between personas seamlessly and is a skill as impressive as his humour.
David can get away with insulting members of the audience behind the façade of any and all of his ‘alter egos’. While some gags seemed repetitive at the time and a little drawn out between the different characters, it did help link the scenes and characters together, seeing as only one can be with David at one time. He has a way of making his creations the stars of the show by leaving all the funny lines for them.
The highlight of the show for me was when David tries to prove that Chuck is easily replaceable, by bringing up two ‘dummies’ from the audience to show us all how easy Chuck’s job really is. The use of pre-filmed video footage of Chuck and Ted E’s fantasies are by no means padding in between scenes, but are instead, another memorable and hilarious part of the show. A detailed painted backdrop featuring other famous non-human characters, mixed with simple lighting, help set the right atmosphere for a show of this kind.
With Melbourne being David Strassman’s self-confessed second home, there is a lot of local humour for the audience to soak up. (Also the correct pronunciation of “Melbourne” was much appreciated.) He is also not afraid to delve into more serious areas such as race, terrorism and the drought, although it’s never actually ‘David’ saying it… is it? It is all done in good fun though and the only risk he runs is having a puppet mistaken as the comedian over himself.
The finale is the return, due to popular demand, of the three Queen-singing dinosaurs, which are more or less a mesmerising exhibition of the technology David Strassman created, called puppetronics. It was a good way to finish off a great show. With recognisable characters, clever use of technology, unsurpassed skill and non-stop laughs, the experience that is a David Strassman show is one that will appeal to a very wide audience now, and hopefully, for years to come.