Randy Feltface, mostly referred to merely as Randy or, on occasion, Randy the Purple Puppet, is an Australian puppet comedian portrayed by Heath McIvor. Randy is a fixture on the international stand-up circuit and makes regular guest appearances on Australian television. He also performs as one half of the musical comedy duo "Sammy J and Randy", who made their television sitcom debut in 2015 with Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane on ABC in Australia, for which Randy is credited as co-writer and lead actor.[1] In 2019, Randy competed in the American reality television comedy competition series Bring the Funny, making it to the second round (the "Comedy Clash").[2][3]
Randy notes that he has an unusually elaborate life story for a puppet comedian, though his operator, Heath McIvor, has stated that it has changed over time and that Randy sometimes makes new claims about his life in an improvisational manner.[4]
Early stand-up career
Randy's first acting gig was in a presentation on workplace bullying. Having gained a taste for showbiz, he soon began to make occasional appearances on the stand-up circuit in around 2005.[5] Randy and Sammy J first met when they shared a bill; shortly after they began performing together at the Butterfly Club in South Melbourne as Sammy J & Randy. Randy's first full-length solo show was Randy's Postcards from Purgatory, which debuted at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2009 to critical acclaim.[6]
Personal life
In his first full-length show, Randy's Postcards from Purgatory, Randy revealed he was 38 years old, working children's parties on the weekend, going broke, and facing an impending divorce. He was also a heavy drinker and smoker.[5] By the time of Randy is Sober it appears that Randy has quit drinking and smoking, and is now vegan. He has also written an unpublished novel entitled Walking to Skye, a recurring topic of interest in his 2015/2016 solo show Randy Writes a Novel.[7]
During the events depicted in the second show, Ricketts Lane, Randy is sent to jail for tax fraud, thanks to his house-mate, Sammy J, a young lawyer desperate to make a case.[6] However, McIvor noted that both Randy and Sammy J are actors on that show.[4]
McIvor and his friend Philip Millar were working on a puppet musical called Tyrannosaurus Sex[11] with a mutual friend Derek Rowe;[12] Rowe, who worked as a workplace consultant for companies, was eventually contracted to create a show about workplace bullying by an insurance company.[4] The show, entitled What's A Bully To You?, originally featured two puppets, but the team realised they needed a third, unisex puppet that could perform a male and a female role depending on the costume: the puppet, called "Beverly" and "Randy" depending on the role, was built by Millar, made from tools in his shed with his arm rods being hacked together from barbecue forks.[4] The show was not received well by the company and McIvor decided to use the character and puppet for an upcoming puppet comedy show organised by Millar called Pure Puppet Palaver, rebranding it as a stand-up comedy act.[4]
Style
Randy (right) with comedic partner Sammy JRandy (left) and Sammy J post-show in the Garden of Unearthly Delights at the 2016 Adelaide Fringe Festival
When performing with Sammy J, Randy performs the funny-man to Sammy J's straight-man in the double act with much of their material being musical comedy. In his solo performances, Randy tends towards observational comedy; in both Randy is Sober and Randy Writes a Novel, he contemplates his own progression as a person and his existential crisis as an artist. He often breaks the fourth wall, pointing out that he is a puppet and cannot actually see the audience, or noting that his movement on stage is usually limited to the desk he is behind.
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