In the continuing series of Christmas gift suggestions for the comically minded, I present the latest offering from a frequent visitor to Australian shores, David Strassman. With his foul mouthed dummy Chuck Wood and an ever expanding cast of new characters, Strassman’s shows are predominantly adults only affairs that take the art form in new directions. To coincide with his upcoming tour, Ted E’s Farewell Tour, David has released his third DVD, appropriately titled Strassman Live Vol 3.
The show, running about 115 minutes with an intermission, was part of the ‘Get Chuck’d Tour’ and this particular performance was filmed at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre in 2007. This was apparent in several references to world leaders of the day and a number of local references that would not be familiar to interstate or international viewers. You can safely assume that if he mentions a town you don’t recognise, it’s probably a shithole!
Strassman employed the usual lines spouted by ventriloquists over the years, but managed to ramp up the double entendres and crudeness, added plenty of knowing nods to the punters and employed some 21st century twists to keep things interesting for a modern audience. His use of robotics and remote devices may upset the purists but they brought to the table some surprising show twists for those who haven’t seen his stuff before.
David prides himself on having a narrative element to his shows, but this was a bit of red herring. This plot didn’t particularly drive the story forward, instead it was used primarily as a starting point for the conflict between Chuck and everyone else. It also allowed for a number of running gags and recurring jokes by all the characters. As a result of the brilliantly executed interactions between the characters and plenty of asides, the show concluded in a different direction from which it should have been headed, a nice touch to the punters on their toes.
The show was filmed using multiple cameras to accurately capture all the on stage action for the punter at home. Considering Dave’s frequent moments of audience interaction (usually cheeky insults) it was understandable that the camera would frequently cut to punter reactions, although the rather low theatre lighting didn’t help. On the positive side this reduced the feeling that these shots were a mere visual laugh track and helped to capture the atmosphere of the night.
The disc includes a number of extras. Two filmed sequences from the main show held up well as stand alone segments even though they required setting up in their original context. There are a couple of short films depicting the domestic life of Dave and Chuck that manage to transcend being single joke films. Of particular interest are the series of short, sharp sketches from David’s TV show that appear to have been filmed in New Zealand. They are clips that mostly involve Chuck making Ted’s life a misery as well as some clever deconstructions of TV and ventriloquism.
The disc menus are based around an illustration of Dave’s evil puppet dungeon / workshop, an identical motif to Strassman’s website. Despite some searching, I could not find any Easter Eggs in the menus.
Little to no previous character background is required to enjoy this this DVD, making it a wonderful way to get acquainted with Strassman’s work. Those familiar with his work can either relive the magic of this show or use this show to get even more excited about the imminent tour. Just don’t let the kids watch as it is rated M for a reason.
Strassman Live Vol 3 is released through Beyond Home Entertainment and is available at Australian retailers everywhere or online through the David Strassman website or Punchline
Strassman’s Ted E’s Farewell Tour is touring Australia and New Zealand until March 13th 2010. Visit the David Strassman Website for details and booking information.