There aren’t very many ventriloquists on the comedy scene today; in fact there’s really only one. His name is Jeff Dunham. The cast of characters he brings along with him in his traveling trunk for Dunham fans are legendary, extremely funny and in a weird sort of way part of our families. His Comedy Central specials are smash hits and run continuously in primetime and have sold over 7 million copies worldwide on DVD. Dunham is a one of a kind performer whose humor never seems to grow old and through his traveling menagerie consistently has his audiences in stitches.
The following is our list of performers in Jeff’s repertoire:
‘Peanut,’ is a favorite of mine. He reminds me of a hyperactive little kid with a wit and sense of humor of not quite a dirty old man but a seasoned veteran who has no filter when speaking his mind. Peanut would probably do very well on sedatives but then he wouldn’t be any fun and way too mellow. It’s my understanding he’s a woozle. Peanut is from a small Micronesian island. He and Dunham met in Florida, doesn’t everyone? He’s cute, purple with white fur and has a tendency to give Dunham a run for his money when it comes to their banter. Which is quite comical in itself when you consider its Jeff talking and arguing with, well, himself? Peanut does have his own secret weapon. Trying his own hand at being a ventriloquist Peanut has a dummy of his own. It’s funny how this addition looks strikingly familiar in the guise of a smaller version of Jeff. Coincidence? I kind of doubt it. ‘Achmed The Dead Terrorist’ (ranks as my number 2 favorite) is most likely the worst suicide bomber there has ever been. Wearing a white towel wrapped around his exposed skull, sporting a black beard, this skeleton is a one of a kind. I have to admit though that I’ve never seen a skeleton with black eyebrows and red eye balls, but hey, that’s just me. With his own perspective of the world, middle Eastern accent and a couple of hilarious tag lines, (“Silence…I Keel You!) Achmed is a definite crowd favorite. ‘Walter,’ the grouchy old man that reminds everyone of their grandfather or at least someone they’ve once met is just that (the neighbor that lives next door?); grouchy and happily/unhappily married depending on the day or which way the wind blows. He too has a certain charm and brutal honesty that you just can’t help but love. ‘José Jalapeño on a Stick,’ is pretty much self explanatory. He’s a Jalapeño on a stick. ‘Bubba J’ is a beer loving redneck who’s into NASCAR and doesn’t appear to be the brightest bulb in the batch. ‘Sweet Daddy Dee,’ is Dunham’s manager though he prefers to refer to himself as a pimp (Player In the Management Profession). ‘Melvin the Superhero Guy,’ is basically a superhero with no powers whatsoever. Personally I think he just likes to dress up in his blue superhero costume. “Achmed Junior,’ or AJ as his friends call him, is the latest character added to the menagerie. First appearing in 2010 his British accent tends to throw people off. The fact that half his body and face are missing is just more proof that Junior and dad have picked the wrong profession. As a pair they have the skeleton look down to a tee. “Guitar Guy,” is the only actual human being that shares the stage with Dunham. His real name is Brian Haner and occasionally appears as Dunham’s opening act.
On this night Dunham and gang were welcomed to the Bank Atlantic Center with open arms, a standing ovation, and whoops and hollers. The beginning of the show opened with Dunham doing a monologue to a collage of photos shown on the back screen. They consisted of a retrospective if you will of his childhood, formative years, and traced his growth as an artist. We were introduced to his first ‘dummies,’ and some of the worst fashion trends one will ever see. Hopefully Dunham burned some of those clothes, especially the yellow short shorts. I’m not even going to attempt to relay any of the jokes from this evening’s performance. First of all, I’m not that funny and second there’s something special when it comes from a ‘dummy.’ And I’m not referring to Jeff. The audience at tonight’s gig was ready to laugh and Dunham delivered hook, line and sinker. He was on par with today’s headlines including politics, The Super Bowl, and enjoying his stay in Sunrise Florida. Walter, Bubba J, Achmed, AJ (Achmed Jr.) Jose, and of course Peanut entertained the 10,500 plus fans that showed up on this rather chilly nippy evening. We were even introduced to Dunham’s dog, Roadie, his 5lb Chihuahua. Performing a couple of tricks on stage the dog almost stole the show but that’s almost impossible to do when you have the line-up we had this evening. His three hour show (there was a 15 minute intermission) was exhausting. I can’t remember laughing that hard that often in one evening. Just a side note: this show is not for kids. There is a bit of profanity in the air. Though Jeff does represent a good part of this show in his latest DVD, “Controlled Chaos,” (there’s some great new material also) be advised live on stage he is uncensored and he lets the comments fly. If you are a Dunham fan or just someone who wants a night on the town to have a really good and fun time, see Jeff Dunham live if he comes to your area. Bring some tissues; you may just laugh until you cry.
You can check out Jeff Dunham yourself on all these great video releases:
Jeff Dunham: Arguing With Myself
Jeff Dunham: Spark Of Insanity
Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special
Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos
For full bio information including pictures, video clips and merchandise these links will set you up for your Jeff Dunham fix:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Dunham
http://comedians.jokes.com/jeff-dunham
www.jeffdunham.com/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0242278/
