Coldwashed Comedy

A comedian ventriloquist is a stage performer who can entertain his or her viewers through ventriloquism. It is a way of deception wherein the person performing the act manipulates his or her voice and makes it appear that the voice is coming from elsewhere. A comedian ventriloquist generally uses a dummy during performances wile he moves his lips only slightly to make it appear like he isn’t the one talking.

Ventriloquism can be rooted in the ancient times of necromancy. Before Chistianity, ancient priests in Italy would hide in pipelines and speak loudly wherein their voices can be heard clearly in almost all parts of the sanctuary. This would deceive the workers who would belive that it is their god speaking. In China more than a hundred years ago, a stone image that stood on a platform inside a shrine was believed by the people to be speaking. It was found out that there was a tube connected to the statue.

This style of performing comedy is a development in the late 1800s. During that time by switching voices, the comedians may have multiple figures performed at variety shows. Today, comedian ventriloquists commonly use only one figure during theirs acts. The first to do this in history was the Englishman Fred Russell who had a dummy named Coster Joe. The most famous, however, was The Great Lester which paved the way for the one-ventriloquist-one-figure act to success.

It was Edgar Bergen who popularized the use of ventriloquism in comedy acts. Together with his buddy named Charlie McCarthy, he hosted a radio show which ran for over a decade. Today, there is a quite significant number of comedian ventriloquists who perform live at nightclubs and television shows.

This style of performing comedy requires a skill not every comedian has. It is a very challenging act wherein the performer must correctly manipulate his or her voice and let his or her dummy talk. At the same time he or she must ensure that his or her performances can make the audience laugh and be amazed at the same time.

Comedian ventriloquists during their acts also face the challenge of being heard clearly by the audience with their lips only slightly opening, if not closed totally. They would usually replace certain bilabial sounds and spoke quickly so the difference in the sound does not get noticed.

So you still think you’ve got what it takes to be a ventriloquist?

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