September 29, 2006

Ventriloquist Jay Johnson opens on Broadway

Yes, ventriloquism on Broadway.

"Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!" opened last night, to generally pleasant reviews. The show has an open-ended run at the Helen Hayes Theatre, located at 240 W. 44th St., map.

A sample of what the critics had to say:

Variety - " The performer's balance of historical and personal reflection helps make this rather slight show a charming dissertation on the vaudevillian art of ventriloquism."

Daily News - "You expect to laugh during a show about a guy who makes a tennis ball speak - and a monkey curse. But you don't anticipate to well up. You'll do both during 'Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!' - an entertaining, if overlong, celebration of ventriloquism, which opened last night for an unlimited run at the Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 W. 44th St."

Post - "The secret to Johnson's sweetly diverting evening is his strangely diffident charm - you find yourself really liking the guy - and the sheer quality of his material."

Newsday - "It's a tribute to Johnson's lifelong seasoning in front of audiences, from arena crowds to private parties, that such rim-shot one-liners come off at all."

New York Times - "The nifty trick of talking without appearing to is what raises Mr. Johnson’s act above the level of mere puppetry to something stranger and marginally more fascinating."

USA Today - "But Johnson's unabashed fervor ultimately proves as engaging as his skill. Even his hokier lines — the puppet master refuses to refer to his colleagues as 'dummies,' he tells us, opting instead for the more politically correct "wooden Americans" — contribute to an endearing lack of pretense."

Associated Press - "His amiable, sometimes rambling show is part history lesson, part autobiography and part giddy entertainment, most notably when Johnson's puppets are allowed to take center stage."

September 29, 2006 08:15 AM in Broadway

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