Jeff Dunham at Montreal's Bell Centre on December 12
The issue with Jeff Dunham's schizophrenia...are his muppets!
Ahmed the Dead Terrorist has become an Internet sensation, but he's nothing without Jeff Dunham.
Wait, now. Maybe it's the other way around. Let's try that.
Jeff Dunham has become an Internet sensation, but he's nothing without Ahmed the Dead Terrorist.
Either way, you can't have one without the other. Y'see, Jeff Dunham,is one of the best ventriloquists in the business, which means he has a knack for imbuing his puppets (they're hardly dummies) with personalities all their own. Ventriloquists are more than just comedians. They're actors capable of playing at least 2 roles at once. The beauty of the craft is it gives the artist the opportunity to say some fairly inappropriate things, things he otherwise might not say himself, putting words in the mouths of his alter-egos.
Dunham and his crew are on a tour that brings them to Montreal's Bell Centre Sunday, December 12 at 5:00, in a show rated E for Everyone.
His partners are Walter, a cantankerous old man, Peanut, a purple nut-case, Jose Jalapeño, a talking pepper on a stick, and Bubba J, Dunham's answer to Edgar Bergen's Mortimer Snerd.
And then of course there's Ahmed the Dead Terrorist, the bulgy-eyed, bearded, suicide bomber skeleton who has no idea he's dead.
And on this tour Dunham is introducing a new puppet. Diane is a woman of a certain age who isn't quite ready to give up on what she's got left. And while this tour might be her introduction to live audiences, she's already appeared on film. In last summer's Dinner For Schmucks, with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, Dunham played Lewis the Ventriloquist, a guest at a party for idiots. The two are introduced together as “Lewis and his wife, Diane.”
Each of Dunham's puppets has a charm all his or her own, with facial expressions, voices, accents, and attitude that pull focus away from the puppet-master. You're basically watching a comedy duo, with Dunham as the straight man.
The thing is, ventriloquism is an up-close medium. I'm not sure that the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens, the same venue that just welcomed Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne, is the best venue for Dunham. To create the illusion of a more intimate setting, a specific area of the arena is being cordoned off, with only a certain number of seats being used. But some of the effect may be lost to those seated further back; if you're used to seeing Dunham on TV, or watching his act on youtube, you may be frustrated. Still, it's a highly entertaining act with great comedic lines being delivered by some very funny, uh, people. If that's your thing, then Jeff Dunham is not to be missed.
Jeff Dunham and skeleton
Jeff Dunham and his muppets
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