Randy Feltface

Last updated

Randy Feltface
RandyFeltface VeganFest 2015.jpg
Randy Feltface at the 2015 Vegan Festival in Adelaide
Created byHeath McIvor
Philip Millar
Portrayed byHeath McIvor
Voiced byHeath McIvor
Born (1980-08-17) 17 August 1980 (age 44)
NationalityAustralian
MediumStand-up, television
Years active2005–present
Genres Observational comedy, Comedy music
Website feltface.com

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]

Contents

Fictography

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 a 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 He has also written an unpublished novel entitled Walking to Skye, a recurring topic of interest in his 2015/2016 solo show Randy Writes a Novel.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]

In his show Purple Privilege, Randy says he was born on the "day Lindy Chamberlain's baby was eaten by a dingo" (17 August 1980). [8]

Creation

Randy Feltface is operated by Heath McIvor, who began his career in puppetry at age 13 in 1993, when he performed with the Melbourne children's theatre company Polyglot Theatre. [9] He provided puppetry work for The Hobbit ; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ; and Walking With Dinosaurs, the Live Experience. [10] He has also worked in television on Pig's Breakfast , Li'l Horrors and as "Fiend" in Me and My Monsters .

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 J Comedian Sammy J and his purple puppet friend Randy (11149423495).jpg
Randy (right) with comedic partner Sammy J
Randy (left) and Sammy J post-show in the Garden of Unearthly Delights at the 2016 Adelaide Fringe Festival SammyJ Randy AdelaideFringe2016.JPG
Randy (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.

Works

Live shows

Television

Recordings

Radio

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2013 Bin Night (with Sammy J) Best Comedy Release Nominated [33]
2015 Live (with Sammy J)Nominated

Other awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wil Anderson</span> Australian comedian (b. 1974)

William James Anderson is an Australian comedian, writer, presenter, and podcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tripod (band)</span> Australian musical comedy trio

Tripod are an Australian musical comedy trio founded by Scod, Yon and Gatesy in 1996. They provide original songs and harmonies, strung together by comic banter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adult puppeteering</span>

Adult puppeteering is the use of puppets in contexts aimed at adult audiences. Serious theatrical pieces can use puppets, either for aesthetic reasons, or to achieve special effects that would otherwise be impossible with human actors. In parts of the world where puppet shows have traditionally been children's entertainment, many find the notion of puppets in decidedly adult situations—for example, involving drugs, sex, profanity, or violence—to be humorous, because of the bizarre contrast it creates between subject matter and characters.

David Gerard Callan is an Irish-born stand-up comedian, who has had a career in television and radio, and is based in Melbourne, Australia. Up until 2010 he worked as a Triple J disc jockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Pickering</span> Australian comedian and presenter

Charlie Pickering is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, author and producer.

Denise Margaret Scott is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, television and radio presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Simmons (comedian)</span> Australian Comedian and actor

Sam Simmons is an Australian comedian, actor, and radio and TV presenter. He has toured extensively with his stand-up shows, as well as many appearances on TV in Australia, the US, and the UK. He has won and been nominated for many awards, and won the Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy J</span> Australian comedian

Samuel Jonathan McMillan is an Australian musical comedian, satirist, writer and radio presenter who performs under the stage name Sammy J. He embraces a variety of media in his comedy, including the use of video and self-composed music, and frequently collaborates with Australian puppet comedian Randy Feltface. He has released several CDs and DVD compilations of his work. He has performed at comedy festivals in Australia, Edinburgh and Montreal, and has appeared on various Australian television shows, including Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane, a sitcom based on the duo's touring show of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Ballard (comedian)</span> Australian comedian, radio and television presenter

Thomas Colin Ballard is an Australian comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. Starting out in radio, he became known as a Triple J host, along with his friend Alex Dyson, over seven years with the station. He his known for his stand-up comedy, as a host of podcasts, and as television presenter, such as the 2017 ABC Television comedy show Tonightly with Tom Ballard. He is author of the 2022 book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires and Everything Else.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award is an annual prize presented to the most outstanding comedy act at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geraldine Quinn</span> Australian comedian

Geraldine Mary Quinn is an Australian songwriter, guitarist, singer, comedian, and actor based in Melbourne. She has performed solo shows at many arts and comedy festivals, including Hex And The City in Adelaide, Melbourne, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2009), and Queen Bitch at the 2018 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

The Moosehead Awards, formerly The Brian McCarthy Memorial Moosehead Awards and commonly known as The Mooseheads, are awards given to performers at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, although it is not an official part of the festival.

Nelly Thomas is a comedian, educator, author, and broadcaster from Western Australia based in Melbourne.

Wednesday Night Fever was an Australian television topical sketch satire series produced and broadcast by the ABC1. The first episode went to air on 3 July 2013.

Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane is a six-part Australian television comedy series starring comedian Sammy J and Randy, a purple puppet, which aired in September 2015 on ABC TV.

Nathan Lovejoy is an Australian actor, known for his roles as Principal Swift on the Disney Channel sci-fi teen sitcom Gabby Duran & the Unsittables, for which he was nominated for a Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Principal Performance in a Children's Program; and as Borkman in the Australian comedy series Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane, for which he was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy.

Georgia Chara is an Australian television and theatre actress. After starting her acting career in her twenties, she made guest appearances in various television series', including Bed of Roses, Killing Time and Mr & Mrs Murder. In 2013, Chara was cast as Jess Lockwood in Home and Away. She also joined the cast of Wentworth in the starring role of Jess Warner. Chara appeared in the second and third seasons. In 2015, Chara starred as Wednesday in comedy series Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane and made a guest appearance in Neighbours. She also made her stage debut in a production of Exit the King.

Dilruk Jayasinha is a Sri Lankan Australian comedian, actor and former accountant.

Jonathan Brough is a New Zealand-born film director based in Australia. He is best known for the comedy TV series Rosehaven, Aftertaste and The Family Law.

Greg Larsen is an actor, television writer, and comedian from Melbourne, Australia. He is best known internationally for his role as Ethan Krum in the BBC One drama thriller series The Tourist. He has also been a cast member and correspondent in the ABC news comedy show Tonightly with Tom Ballard; and a writer and cast member of the sketch comedy series At Home Alone Together and We Interrupt This Broadcast on Seven Network.

References

  1. ↑ "Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane : ABC iview". iview.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 Puppet Randy Feltface Performs in the Open Mic Round - Bring The Funny (Open Mic), 15 July 2019, retrieved 27 February 2023
  3. 1 2 Magician Jarred Fell vs. Puppet Randy Feltface - Bring The Funny (Comedy Clash), 5 August 2019, retrieved 2 March 2023
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Saturday Morning Media (1 November 2019). Heath McIvor (Randy Feltface, Me & My Monsters) - Under The Puppet #34. YouTube.
  5. 1 2 "No strings attached – Comedy Festival – Arts – Entertainment – theage.com.au". theage.com.au. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Stand and Deliver!". Stand and Deliver!. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  7. ↑ "Randy Is Sober | The Skinny" . Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "Purple Privilege". YouTube . 13 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Heath McIvor | Polyglot Theatre". Polyglotpuppets.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  10. ↑ "Heath McIvor, Puppeteer, etc". Heathmcivor.com. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  11. ↑ "Hey, dummy, listen up". The Age. 5 October 2007.
  12. ↑ Woodhead, Cameron (5 October 2007). "Tyrannosaurus". The Age. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 "Randy • Comedian – Bio" . Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Randy is Sober – Athenaeum Theatre". 28 March 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Randy • Comedian". Randy • Comedian. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  16. ↑ Logan, Brian (26 August 2016). "Randy Writes a Novel review – existential crisis of a puppet standup". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  17. ↑ Bozoky, Jessica (15 January 2016). "Sammy J and Randy Land: The Embezzlement". Scenestr. Eyeball Media Pty Ltd. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  18. ↑ BREAKING NEWS: Feltopia Tour Dates ADDED | Randy Feltface, 11 April 2023, retrieved 10 May 2023
  19. ↑ "Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun" Housemates (TV Episode 2020) - IMDb , retrieved 5 April 2023
  20. ↑ De Avondshow Correspondent Audition | Randy Feltface, 19 March 2023, retrieved 4 April 2023
  21. ↑ Design, AphShop Online Store v0.951 by Aphotic. "Laughing Stock Store: Randy is Sober DVD (SIGNED)". www.laughingstock.com.au. Retrieved 2 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ Design, AphShop Online Store v0.951 by Aphotic. "Laughing Stock Store: Sammy J & Randy BIN NIGHT DVD (SIGNED)". laughingstock.com.au. Retrieved 2 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ "Randy on Instagram: "Available now for digital download! Link in bio! Cost minimal, satisfaction probable. #thelasttemptationofrandy . . . #straighttovhs…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021.
  24. ↑ Design, AphShop Online Store v0.951 by Aphotic. "Laughing Stock Store: Sammy J & Randy's DIFFICULT FIRST ALBUM CD (SIGNED)". laughingstock.com.au. Retrieved 2 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ Design, AphShop Online Store v0.951 by Aphotic. "Laughing Stock Store: Sammy J & Randy LIVE DVD". laughingstock.com.au. Retrieved 2 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ↑ Randy Feltface - Randy Writes a Novel, 25 October 2020, retrieved 15 May 2021
  27. ↑ McIvor, Heath; Van den Dungen, Natalie. "Randy Feltface: The Book of Randicus". Amazon . Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  28. ↑ Randy Feltface - Purple Privilege Full Show, 13 November 2021, retrieved 2 December 2021
  29. ↑ Randy Feltface: Smug Druggles - Full Comedy Special, 31 July 2022, retrieved 19 January 2023
  30. ↑ Randy Feltface - The Book Of Randicus, 16 July 2023, retrieved 7 August 2023
  31. ↑ Randy Feltface: Feltopia (Full Comedy Special), 19 February 2024, retrieved 19 February 2024
  32. ↑ "Radio 4 announces first presenter made of felt". BBC Media Centre. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  33. ↑ "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 17 April 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.