Randy Feltface, mostly referred to merely as Randy, or, on occasion, Randy the Purple Puppet, is an Australian puppet comedian. 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 Samuel Jonathan McMillan (born 2 July 1983) 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-com ...

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. In 2019, Randy competed in the American reality television comedy competition series '' Bring the Funny'', making it to the second round (the "Comedy Clash").

Fictography

Randy notes that he has an unusually elaborate life story for a puppet comedian, though McIvor has stated that it has changed over time and that Randy sometimes makes new claims about his life in an improvisational manner.

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. Randy and

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 The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typical ...

in 2009 to critical acclaim.

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. 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 He has also written an unpublished novel entitled "Walking to Skye", a recurring topic of interest in his 2015/2016 solo show ''Randy Writes a Novel''. 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. However, McIvor noted that both Randy and Sammy J are actors on that show. 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).

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 Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

children's theatre company Polyglot Theatre. He provided puppetry work for ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...

'', ''

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Among all th ...

'' and ''

Walking With Dinosaurs ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' is a 1999 six-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Tim Haines and produced by the BBC Science Unit the Discovery Channel and BBC Worldwide, in association with TV Asahi, ProSieben and France 3. ...

, the Live Experience''. He has also worked in television on ''

Pig's Breakfast ''Pig's Breakfast'' (also known as ''Off The Air'') is an Australian children's television series that was broadcast in 1999. Two alien school kids, Grob and Meeba, accidentally crash their galactic school bus into a television studio on Eart ...

'', ''

Li'l Horrors ''Li'l Horrors'' is an Australian children's comedy puppetry television series which screened on the Seven Network in 2001. The series contained 52 episodes each 12 minute, 30 seconds in length, with double episodes usually screened in a 30-minut ...

'', and as 'Fiend' in ''

Me and My Monsters ''Me and My Monsters'' is a children's comedy television program from The Jim Henson Company that combines live action and puppetry. The series is a co-production filmed in Australia. It first screened on CBBC on 18 October 2010 and airs on Net ...

''. McIvor and his friend Philip Millar were working on a puppet musical called ''Tyrannosaurus Sex'' with a mutual friend Derek Rowe; Rowe, who worked as a workplace consultant for companies, was eventually contracted to create a show about workplace bullying by an insurance company. The show, entitled ''What's A Bully To You?'', originally featured two puppets, but the team realized 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, his arm rods being hacked together from barbecue forks. The show was not received well by the company, and McIvor decided to use the character and puppet for an upcoming puppet comedy show organized by Millar called ''Pure Puppet Palaver'', rebranding it as a

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

act.

Style

When performing with Sammy J, Randy performs the funny-man to Sammy J's straight-man in the

double act A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases fo ...

, and much of their material is

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

. In his solo performances, Randy tends towards

observational comedy Observational comedy is a form of humor based on the commonplace aspects of everyday life. It is one of the main types of humor in stand-up comedy. In an observational comedy act, the comedian makes an observation about something which is common en ...

; in both ''Randy is Sober'' and ''Randy Writes a Novel'', he contemplates his own progression as a person and his

existential crisis In psychology and psychotherapy, existential crises are inner conflicts characterized by the impression that life lacks meaning. Some authors also emphasize confusion about one's personal identity in their definition. Existential crises are acco ...

as an artist. He often breaks the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cent ...

, 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

*2009 ''Randy's Postcards From Purgatory'' *2010 ''Ricketts Lane'' (with Sammy J) *2011 ''Bin Night'' (with Sammy J) *2011–2013 ''Randy is Sober'' *2012 ''The Inheritance'' (with Sammy J) *2013 ''Sammy J & Randy: The Arena Spectacular'' (with Sammy J) *2013–2014 ''The Last Temptation of Randy'' *2015 ''An Evening with Sammy J & Randy'' (with Sammy J) *2015 ''Randy Writes a Novel'' *2016 ''Sammy J and Randy Land'' (with Sammy J) *2018 ''The Book of Randicus'' *2020 ''Modus Operandy'' *2021 ''Purple Privilege'' *2022 ''Inhale, Exile''

Television

*2006 ''The Upper Hand'' – Short Film (Actor) *2011 '' The Project'' –

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of fi ...

(Guest) *2011 ''Cracker Night'' –

The Comedy Channel The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) is a defunct Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020. History A joint venture between Artist Ser ...

(Performer) *2011 '' Good News World'' –

(Cast Member) *2012 ''Warehouse Comedy'' – ABC TV (Performer – ''Sober'') *2013 '' Live on Bowen'' – Channel 31 (Guest) *2013 ''No Laughing Matter'' –

(Performer) *2014 ''Community Kitchen'' – Channel 31 (Guest) *2014 '' Spicks and Specks'' – ABC TV (Guest Contestant) *2015 ''Comedy Up Late'' – ABC TV (Performer) *2015 '' Sammy J and Randy in Ricketts Lane'' – ABC TV (Writer, Actor) *2015 ''

The Chaser's Media Circus ''The Chaser's Media Circus'' is an Australian television comedy quiz show which was broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television station ABC. The series was produced by the Australian satirical group, The Chaser, consi ...

'' – ABC TV (Guest Contestant) *2016 '' The Yearly with Charlie Pickering'' – ABC TV ("ABC Business Correspondent") *2019 '' Bring the Funny'' -

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

*2020 '' Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun'' –

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

Recordings

*2012 ''Randy is Sober'' (DVD) *2012 ''Sammy J and Randy in Bin Night'' (DVD) *2013 ''The Last Temptation of Randy'' (released as VOD in 2020) *2013 ''Sammy J & Randy's Difficult First Album'' (Audio) *2015 ''Sammy J and Randy LIVE'' (DVD) *2018 ''Randy Writes a Novel'' (DVD, YouTube) *2021 ''The Book Of Randicus'' (DVD, VOD) *2021 ''Purple Privilege'' (YouTube) *2022 ''Smug Druggles'' (YouTube)

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the

music of Australia The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

, , ''Bin Night'' (with

) , , rowspan="2",

ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release The ARIA Music Award for Best Comedy Release, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Indu ...

, , , , rowspan="2", , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, , ''Live'' (with Sammy J) , , , - *Winner: Best Comedy, Perth Fringeworld 2014 *Winner: Barry Award,

2010 (with Sammy J) *Winner: Groggy Squirrel Readers Award, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2010 (with Sammy J) *Nominee: Best Comedy, Adelaide Fringe 2012 (With Sammy J) *Nominee: Golden Gibbo Award: Melbourne Comedy Festival 2009

References

External links

Official Site

YouTube Channel

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feltface, Randy Australian comedy musicians Bring the Funny contestants Comedy theatre characters Comedy television characters Male characters in television Male characters in theatre Theatre characters introduced in 2005 Television characters introduced in 2005 Puppets