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Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Take 5 with Randy Feltface and his research on bananas

Many people may know Randy Feltface as comedian Sammy Jโ€™s counterpart, but the purple puppet has carved a 20-year career of his own.

Randy (the puppeteer is Heath McIvor) is making a return to Canberra in July to perform First Banana.

Bananas are believed to have originated up to 10,000 years ago โ€“ and Randy believes humanity has been in a downward spiral ever since.

Since beginning his comedy career in Melbourne in 2005, Randy has written and performed a dozen solo stand-up comedy shows, released seven comedy specials, played sold-out seasons in London and New York and has been nominated for Best Comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The award-winning comedian has also appeared in shows on Netflix and NBC.

First Banana will run at Canberra Theatre Centre on 21 July. Tickets can be purchased at canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Where did the idea for this show come from?
I had a line in my last show which was โ€˜global evolution should have stopped at the first bananaโ€™ โ€“ I cut it and used it as a new show.

Ten thousand years ago was a pretty crucial time in the earthโ€™s history in terms of where humans went โ€“ trace it to the moment the banana arrived in the jungles of Southeast Asia. I did a deep dive on bananas.

Essentially, itโ€™s a 58-minute banana conspiracy theory lecture โ€“ with two minutes of jokes tacked at the end.

How many hours did you spend researching bananas?
I didnโ€™t tally it up. I spent about a month or two writing the show. I did the show all across Europe, the United Kingdom and a huge chunk of the US โ€“ so it has changed as Iโ€™m learning new stuff, making it funnier.

Itโ€™s the first time Iโ€™ve done a show ending the tour in Australia, so the show is going to be the most finely tuned bulletproof one-hour show Iโ€™ve done.

When I was overseas, I had fun with the Europeans and the Americans and now Iโ€™m coming back home.

Sometimes (I start with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival), but the old way of doing it was starting in January, I would do the Adelaide and Brisbane (comedy festivals), then all that.

Now Iโ€™m spending a lot more time in the US, performing at clubs and theatres these days, which is a different way of working the material.

Not often Iโ€™ll spend a year touring a show before I bring it to Australia, so none of these jokes have been told here. Itโ€™s going to be a treat for the peeps.

What do you love the most about being and performing as a puppet?

I, as Randy, have never done a show not as Randy. I think I have a disarming face so what Iโ€™ve found is that I have really beautiful fans around the world that connect with me on a cartoon character level. People make me a lot of fan art โ€“ everyoneโ€™s drawing me pictures and crocheting me sweaters and shenanigans and that. The advantage to the way I look is that people warm to me quickly โ€“ thereโ€™s no preconceived notion โ€“ I donโ€™t know anyone who looks like me.

What do you love about visiting and performing in Canberra?
I always come to Canberra. Canberra is the place I fled to post-COVID-19 lockdown. I managed to sneak my way across to Canberra and you guys were a lot less stringent โ€“ Iโ€™d spent eight months living alone and came to Canberra where crowds were gathering. I always love coming back to Canberra where itโ€™s always the best shows, Canberra audiences โ€ฆ theyโ€™re great. Generally, thereโ€™s diversity and a liberal vibeโ€ฆ

Iโ€™m a huge fan of the Canberra Comedy Festival. Iโ€™ve done a lot with them in the past, the Christmas gala, I take up any chance I can to work with them.

This time Iโ€™m going rogue and swinging my wares through town.

Buy tickets you Canberran f**ks.

How will you celebrate the 20th anniversary of your career โ€“ what are the highlights of your career?
The highlights I would say, are: the first time I performed with my comedy husband Sammy J, the last time I performed with my comedy husband Sammy J and the messy divorce I went through with my comedy husband Sammy J โ€“ they are my three highlights. Heโ€™s dead to me.

I was hosting a show and he was on the lineup in 2005 โ€“ so it will be our 20 years this year as well.

Iโ€™ve also done a four-part BBC radio series, Randy Feltfaceโ€™s Destruction Manual โ€“ itโ€™s a guide to speeding up climate change and ending the earth as quickly as possible. It would do well in the Canberra political setting.

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