I first encountered Randy Feltface on Bring the Funny, a stand-up comedy competition show. The purple felt, legally-distinct-from-a-muppet puppet was robbed in a head-to-head competition against an unfunny "comedian/magician," and did not advance past the second round.
Hidden underneath the desk, podium, or ironing board, depending on the venue, is Australian puppeteer Heath McIvor. McIvor possesses the magical puppeteer skill of making people forget they are talking to a puppet. His comedy is good, but where Randy shines is in crowd work. He interacts authentically with the crowd, asking simple questions about what they did that day or what they wanted to be when they were a kid.
Randy will sometimes invite audience members up onto the stage, almost always with the admonishment, "Don't look at him!" Once crowd interaction turns into a wedding.
Crowd work turns out to be difficult in a 3000 seat theater.
The Randy Feltface YouTube channel is loaded with clips, compilations, and full specials, where Randy sports a varied wardrobe and occasionally dons a wig. Randy is currently on tour in the United States.
Previously:
• Star Trek goes full Muppet: Strange New Worlds reveals puppet-filled episode for season 4
• Let Estelle, a 'crap taxidermy' fox puppet, inspire you with her motivational meditations
• Puppets galore at LA's whimsical 'Puppetchella' puppet festival
