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Randy Feltface

Randy Feltface

Assembly, Until 29 August

by Gareth K Vile

Randy Feltface is a surprisingly amiable comedian who occasionally dives into more challenging material. There is a theme throughout Alien – the destruction of the environment – that is addressed with fatalism and good humour, and his interactions with the audience are warm, gentle and rousing. As a puppet on stage without a puppeteer, Randy is an arresting presence, but aside from some movements that would be physically impossible for a mere human, the routines don’t play on this unique selling point. Rather, it is a solid stand-up set that stands out because of his delivery and energy.

The role of the puppet as a comic truth-teller is familiar enough, with the natural deadpan of an animated object lending the humour a sardonic edge. The reflections on narratives – Randy condemns the myth of Gilgamesh and the repetition of the hero’s journey as a trope – are intelligent but also land well for the rowdy audience. Randy is an expert at combining a hard truth and a cheeky laugh.

Randy also leans into his status as an outsider. Death for him means the extinction of an entire species, giving his worries an additional poignancy. If the puppet represents the relationship between the human and the inanimate (a topic that Randy could certainly explore), his warnings about environmental catastrophe become all the more urgent. And while he never strays into the pretentious, Randy is uncompromising in his seriousness.

In describing what he calls the greatest action sequence in cinema – Liam Nieson fighting on a train – Randy exposes the stupidity of what passes for popular entertainment. At the heart of the show is a wry commentary on human absurdity, offering a message of some hope that is al the more potent spoken through the mouth of a being that does not exist.

4 stars