Sammy J and Randy Land

 Sammy J and Randy (operated by the talented puppeteer Heath McIvor). Photograph via Brisbane Powerhouse Arts.

Comedian Sammy J has been called Australia’s favourite ‘skinny man’, and together with his purple friend Randy (a puppet operated by Heath McIvor) are ​former winners of Australia’s most coveted comedy award, The Barry. The pair have performed various shows together over the years, featuring songs and silly antics and driving each other crazy, but in reality they would be lost without each other.

This performance is part of the Wonderland Festival ​hosted by Brisbane Powerhouse; in keeping with the festival theme the show was about the side-show ​and while there may have been a puppet on stage, this was not a show for young children, at times pushing the boundaries with rude, crude jokes and innuendos.

Sammy J’s antics and facial expressions were funny to watch and Randy’s comic timing in telling their story was very clever – although at times they missed the mark (but it somehow did not matter).

Randy spoke very quickly at the beginning of the show, his words flowing over each other, and I found it difficult to follow the dialogue but then Sammy J broke into song so all was forgiven.

The props were over the top, full of colour and used to enhance the narrative as the other characters’ stories soon made their way on stage. Sammy J and Randy Land turned into a story within a story, proving that clearly, Heath McIvor is a man of many talents (and characters).

The hour moved at a fast pace with more props being added, and Sammy J always ready for the next ‘chapter’ in the story. As always a certain suburb in Brisbane got rubbished.

There is such a fine line between funny and tasteless and Sammy J and Randy never crossed the line. Sammy J and Randy Land may have been a story but it also covered the ‘reals’ and for the duration of the festival I was trying to get my head around what I had just seen, but in a good way.

With Sammy J coming back in March 2017 as part of the Comedy Festival it will be interesting to see if he can be just as funny without his sidekick ‘the puppet who does not know he is a puppet’ Randy.