Sammy J and Randy are off on a new adventure. It’s a land of fun, excitement, and total decapitation – is that not everything you have wanted from a night out?
Sitting in the beautiful Athenaeum Theatre, watching a cardboard cutout of an Australian fisheries minister rapping felt a little like I’d stepped into a wormhole. Sammy J comes across as endearingly naïve and innocent in comparison to the ever debaucherous Randy, but there is no innocent mind that could come up with the plot of Sammy J and Randy Land. There are puppets upon puppets in this show: giant ones, tiny ones, purple ones (obviously) and hilariously malfunctioning ones of the shadow variety.
This is essentially a stage version of the duo’s ABC show, self contained and full of every sort of ridiculous misadventure you could come up with for a one hour show – not to mention some great celebrity cameos and actually funny dick jokes. I maintain dicks are only funny when they are belonging to puppets. The fourth wall was also shatteringly broken, drawing a gasp from the audience… and we still have no darn clue ‘what’ Randy truly is, apart from a complete megalomaniac who’s awfully good at avoiding death and bringing about other people’s. Although I’m very partial to keep referring to him as a ‘satanic Ribena berry’.
I’m gullible as hell so I fell for every tiny bit of deception that was a setup for a later joke… maybe I am the truly naïve one here.
SJ&RL is full of little modern culture references, especially when it comes to Melbourne – slight digs at Frankston, talking about Ye Olde Butterfly Tavern, and the mother of all ageless punch lines: Frank Walker from National Tiles.
If you’re into narrative comedy and people creating their own sovereign nations, or just Dr. Chris Brown’s abs, you’re gonna have a pretty darn great night with your old pals Sammy J and Randy.
-Jasmin Ashton
Jasmin Ashton is a PR whiz and freelance writer/designer from Melbourne who has a lot of feelings about pretty much everything. Find them at @Jasmanna.
Sammy J and Randy Land runs from 29 March to 2 April and then from the 12-17th of April. The Melbourne Town Hall is wheelchair accessible
Check out our guide to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for more great shows.
Disclosure: The Plus Ones were invited guests of Sammy J. (and probably Randy too) and Buxton Walker.
