★★★★
“It’s about Chucking time that Strassman came back out,” I say to my mum as we enter the Enmore Theatre. She stares at me with mild judgement, and rightly so. Fortunately, the rock star ventriloquist we’re here to see is far funnier than I am.
One of David Strassman’s strengths is that each one of his shows manages to be simultaneously familiar and fresh. His latest show, iTedE, is no exception. Ted E. Bare is as cute and self-deprecating as ever, and Chuck Wood continues to permeate every segment with his potty mouth and penchant for telling Dave to fuck off.
The theme of this show is social media and technology. As the ventriloquist attempts to prepare his unwieldy puppets for a Ted Talk (geddit?) on the importance of imagination, they obsess over the internet and their devices. Ever the polar opposites, Ted uses Dave’s credit card to buy Wiggles tickets whereas Chuck cruises the dank depths of RedTube.
Other old favourites such as Kevin The Alien and Grandpa Fred also roll up to represent the various chasms of Strassman’s personality and cause general havoc. My personal favourite is Buttons The (drunken) Clown, whose debauchery, extreme honesty and general slurring remind me of any given Saturday night in the Cross.
The most impressive part of the show comes during the Ted Talk itself, where Strassman controls all five puppets remotely and simultaneously; something he has never attempted in previous shows. Not only is it incredibly cool, it also proves there is still new life to be breathed into the art of ventriloquism.
Although the show does have some teething issue, Strassman never shies away from using the puppets to point out his mistakes or tell him if a joke doesn’t land. Considering the faux-workshop setting, this actually adds to the intimate and behind-the-scenes ambience. It feels like the audience isn’t so much watching a show as revelling in the hilarious antics of a man and his dolls.
