Theater review by Raven Snook
Underneath their punchlines, most comedians long to be taken seriously. One of the best ways to achieve that is to write a novel, which is exactly what award-winning Australian funnyman Randy has done. Randy may be a purple puppet with ping-pong eyeballs that make him look like he's perpetually tweaking, but he comes off as tragically human. He doesn't need to worry about mortality, but he frets over pretty much everything else during this 75-minute book reading, which quickly devolves into an amusing, profanity-laden existential crisis.
A well-known TV and stage star Down Under, Randy is facilitated by puppeteer Heath McIvor (though the latter is never visible onstage, nor does he get a credit in the program). That bolsters the illusion of Randy's autonomy as he banters with the audience and rants about Hemingway, Harper Lee, Hoarders, veganism, Buddhism, the human condition and the challenges of being an artist. It's easy to see why Randy Writes a Novel has been a hit on the Fringe circuit, but this sit-down comedy routine doesn't quite satisfy as theater. Aside from an extended anecdote about a Craigslist transaction gone wonderfully wrong, the show's dark-humor material is as well-worn as parts of Randy's felt. It inspires consistent smiles, but for bigger laughs the writing would have to seem more novel.
Clurman Theatre (Off Broadway). Written, performed and directed by Heath McIvor. Running time: 1hr 15min. No intermission.
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