Randy Writes a Novel NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (142)
See it if you want to let your hair down (Randy does...and he's bald). This is one brilliant, expressive puppet. You'll laugh, you'll think.
Don't see it if you want a real show; this is stand-up. Audience participation is weakest part, but it wasn't horribly intrusive. Good escapism.
See it if Based on other reviews, maybe we caught an off show. But this was brutally bad. Jokes failed. Most of the audience left after 30 min.
Don't see it if You are at a matinee or have a half full crowd. It’s a night show requiring a few drinks. This is my worst reviewed show. Read more
Critic Reviews (22)
"Randy is facilitated by puppeteer Heath McIvor (though the latter is never visible onstage). That bolsters the illusion of Randy's autonomy as he banters with the audience and rants...It's easy to see why the show has been a hit on the Fringe circuit, but this sit-down comedy routine doesn't quite satisfy as theater...The show's dark-humor material is as well-worn as parts of Randy's felt. It inspires consistent smiles, but for bigger laughs the writing would have to seem more novel."
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"A very entertaining way to spend time with a bald purple puppet who has seen the world, muses on all manner of subjects, and has a good grasp of profanity...The set, along with the pleasantly edgy rock music, confronts us when we enter. Randy does tell us that this is not a show that you have to detach from reality to enjoy. He's right. When I saw it, it was mainly visitors to America who ended up engaging with Randy. Don't be afraid. Go see the show and talk to the guy."
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"While ostensibly a comedy show, it turns out 'Randy Writes A Novel' is actually about the existential dilemma of figuring out what your legacy will be after you die...The creator of Randy does a great job of blurring the line between man and puppet. The audience never sees the puppeteer, presumably also called Randy, even while the puppet Randy's movements are so specific and human-like...A wonderful blend of performance art, comedy, and weird."
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“Randy…remarks self-deprecatingly about our having come to see a comedy show but getting a TED talk instead. Which might not be so bad if that TED talk were more enlightening than this play is funny. There are laughs…some of them loud, but not as many as the show's context would seem to demand…While Randy captures and holds your attention…, you always feel he's on the brink of saying something hilarious only for the feeling to dissipate into a smile…as his narrative shifts…direction.”
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"Presentations apparently differ depending on the monologist’s mood and the tenor of an audience. (This is an often uncomfortable crap shoot and frankly unnecessary.) You’re addressed/carefully harangued, encouraged to call out, even to shoot photos...While some of the show is corny vaudevillian, some is insightful, clever, and well acted storytelling...You just have to get through the hackneyed parts and unwilling audience members to enjoy it."
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"No ordinary off-Broadway show...Wild night of entertainment...Randy knows how to whip the theater attendees into a laugh-inducing frenzy...A talented raconteur, Randy waxes poetic on everything...Randy is so irresistible...Guarantees more fun than a troop of monkeys and more guffaws than a flock of woodpeckers. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, you'll cheer, you'll learn what a 'rock melon' is, and you'll leave the theater much smarter than when you came!"
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"Raunchy, rowdy, rambunctious, and revealing...Feltface is one of the top comedians in Austrailia, and he is also a puppet. His bug eyes, purple, svelte skin, and chick-pea head lead to a gully of laughs, but also quiet prods of thought...This show's charm relies on its audience participation...A hilarious, subtle confrontation on the image you have yourself...Funny and poignant in showing how a broken 'man'/ puppet discovers that fame is public but happiness is private."
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"This is cheek sore, solar plexus spasm funny...Manages to deliver remarkable insight disguised in clever one-liners and self deprecating musings. He deconstructs topics...with expert dexterity and craftsmanship. Even though I bellowed like a foghorn and howled like a hyena throughout, these deeper philosophical contemplations stayed with me long after the aftershocks of shrieking had subsided...It can induce the ugly laugh or unhinged snorting. I loved every single second of it."
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"Inordinately funny & thought provoking...Once the puppet has the crowd in hand the show transforms into a more erudite prologue of iconic literary writers...Randy shifts from his comedic schtick to more enlightening topics of Buddhism, existentialism, and mortality. The musings of a pink sock puppet pull some about face twists...This ingenious Laughing Stock production pushes the boundaries of communication and disconnection."
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"The second I got home from the performance, I found myself wishing it was still on Netflix for me to watch, as I couldn’t get enough from the show itself! It’s an absolutely hilarious comedy show, and is worthy of all the praise it’s received in the years leading up to this Off-Broadway production. It’s one of the funniest events I’ve attended over the past year or so, and strongly encourage you to attend, interact, and be prepared to laugh!"
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"We feel superior to a bug-eyed puppet, but through great puppetry we accept Randy as a character...Through a varied vocal life, McIvor creates a complex personality, frustrated, angry, sly. He insults his audience without being offensive, and he’s common without being cheap...This is really smart stand-up...The script needs to stay closer to its premise, and some of the vulgarity goes too far. But 'Randy Writes a Novel' is really funny, an Aussie import much appreciated."
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"A puppet on a hysterically funny journey to discover the meaning of life and all its peculiarities...Wildly improvised and intelligently scripted. You'll find yourself literally howling with laughter...A riotous amalgamation of master puppet and willing audience...Randy himself will tell you that what he’s presenting on stage is an anthropological social experiment and a one helluva good time. As always Randy, a philosopher in fabric and flock, is more than right."
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'A different and unusual sort of show...The curiosity of the crowd is kept at bay by Randy's engaging storytelling...Randy masters the nuance of time and tension building...It's easy to forget that there are complicated skills at work whenever Randy makes a gesture. It is truly a testament to the crew and cast of this comedy show that Randy feels to me as fun, charismatic and charming as the next purple man."
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"By the end, I yearned for the expressivity of a human being – because this is essentially a standup show spoken from a human perspective that doesn’t play to puppetry’s strengths at all. None of which is to deny McIvor’s skills in the niche of standup puppetry..Randy’s identity is unclear here...There’s ample compensation in Randy’s explosive delivery and some good jokes about hoarding and Harper Lee. But, conceptually, the show doesn’t quite add up."
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"A show that’s got a strong, artistic core, but stumbles badly whenever Randy veers off that path...You’d hope a show about telling a story has a good one at its core, and Randy has a cracker. This almost human lump of foam is, as always, expertly manipulated by McIvor...But in terms of content, this hour still seems patchy, with Randy sometimes getting too pretentious or climbing aboard hobbyhorse alongside the more compelling and sometimes hilarious segments."
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"Randy is a bald, bright purple Australian stand-up puppet with a really quick wit and a sharp tongue...McIvor does a fantastic job of making this very simple puppet come to life, to the point where one occasionally forgets that he’s not just a peculiar-looking little guy. His delivery is ridiculously funny...Full of amusing anecdotes and intelligent points, delivered in an explosive and hilarious manner...A fantastic way to liven up your evening in an unusual and very, very funny way."
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"Surely an hour watching a potty-mouthed purple puppet trying to read from his book would be interminable? You'd certainly think so, yet Randy manages to pull it out of the bag time after time...Most impressive of all are the adlibbing skills which McIvor brings to the table as Randy banters with audience members...There are some odd moments when Randy/McIvor goes off on a laugh-empty musing about healthy eating, but in the main, this is a curse-heavy delight."
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"For a purple puppet he’s incredibly astute, philosophising about culture and human nature, while dropping in some rather interesting literary facts along the way. A show starring a puppet might sound gimmicky, but actually – as those who have seen him in previous shows will know – Randy is a totally believable character that enhances what, on its own, would still be remarkably good stand-up. Will Randy ever get around to reading his novel? You’ll have to go to find out for yourself."
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"The furry felt philosopher takes every opportunity to divert attention from his manuscript, exploring tangents and generally going off on one...So seamless is the relationship between the puppeteer and his conduit...Less gag fest and more extended entertaining procrastination but if 'Walking to Skye' were half as riveting as his brilliant, barmy shaggy dog story about the purchase of a bookshelf on Gumtree, then Randy/McIvor really knows how to spin a yarn."
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"An hour of blissful ignorance and entertainment...In short it’s a stand-up set performed by a puppet, with two very likeable factors. One, the depth this show reaches is far greater than it has any right to be. Two, the puppeteering skill involved is some of the best you’re likely to see any time soon...Writer/puppeteer Heath McIvor, very much the piece’s MVP...To give so much personality to a character that can’t even move his face is truly a feat of craft...Escapism right when you need it most."
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"What might, on its surface, just appear to be another quirky fringe act actually turns out to be a layered, loaded, utterly hilarious set of musings on the nature of art, audience, and value of both of these things...Through a combination of the brilliance of the delivery and Randy’s ability to hold the audience in the palm of his purple felt hand, he takes the audience in a ride through suspension of belief and has us laughing the whole way."
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"A turbulent yet heartwarming comedy...McIvor does a skillful job of making the audience see through the felt facade of Randy...It is mesmerising to see a talented puppeteer bring Randy to life...The human and puppet element merge so convincingly, it is hard at times to see the point in using puppetry at all...Ultimately, masterful puppeteering and a queue of humorous anecdotes and lectures make for a chuckle-filled evening, laced with comfortable surrealism."
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