If you were to name an Australian comedy power duo, you'd probably name Sammy J and Randy. OK, OK, you'd *probably* name Lano and Woodley, but you'd also eventually get to Sammy J and Randy. But the purple puppet is branching out on his own, having travelled to Hollywood in 2019 to compete in a reality TV contest for comedians. He didn't make it past the second round, but he's back from Tinseltown with stories of glitz and glamour, fame and failure.
Randy is the creation of Heath McIvor, who both operates and voices the puppet. Or in this case, puppets, as Randy Feltface: Purple Privilege is an origin story that includes flashbacks and other versions of Randy at different ages in his life. Randy at age six is a very small version in a whale T-shirt who is, yes, adorable. "I'm your favourite part of the show, right?" he asks the audience. "Too bad I'm horrifically racist."
Foul-mouthed puppet is kind of the schtick with Randy. He says awful things, and if he weren't a puppet he'd be another 'edgy' male comedian telling off-colour, boundary-pushing and sometimes frankly disgusting jokes. But because he's a puppet, well, you forgive it a lot more, and somehow it's much funnier.
McIvor is an extremely skilled puppeteer, and it's easy to imagine Randy has more than two facial expressions (mouth open or closed), or that he can see the audience. He even interacts with the audience, which is pretty impressive for a piece of purple felt. If 'puppet saying awful things' is your vibe, well, you'll love Randy. If not, you might be inclined to think too hard about the man behind the curtain.
