Jay Johnson: The Two & Only!

Ventriloquist Jay Johnson's Broadway show (winner of a 2007 Tony Award)—presented here in a 2012 performance from Thalian Hall in Wilmington, NC—finds the former Soap star surrounded onstage by suitcases filled with puppets as he presents a history of his vocation while also demonstrating his expertise. The word "ventriloquism," Johnson explains, hails from the Latin for “to talk through your belly.” During the 1700s, the skill became associated with puppets and achieved some popularity, despite detractors who saw ventriloquism as a form of witchcraft or demonic possession (a notion furthered by the fact that some practitioners were simply grifters who supposedly removed curses for a price). Johnson's chronology also touches on the Oracle of Delphi, The Wizard of Oz, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, and the radio show Big Jon and Sparkie, which served as an inspiration for his own act. Through practice, Johnson honed his abilities—using his little sister as his “permanent captive audience”—moving on to perform for audiences in Texas and California before transitioning to television. Johnson explains how the term “dummy” came into usage, joking that his performing companions prefer to be called Wooden Americans—companions including Amigo, a sensitive boa constrictor; Nethernore, an excitable vulture; and Bob, Johnson's sarcastic Soap costar. All in all, this is a pretty ingenious and entertaining show. Recommended. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)