Great ringtone, shame about the show. Texan ventriloquist Jeff Dunham’s YouTube clips featuring suicide bomber puppet Achmed The Dead Terrorist have had more than 86 million hits and his US tours rival the biggest pop jaunts. Heard a phone bellow "Silence. I Kill You!"? That’s Achmed.
No one goes this global by delivering nuanced humour. Dunham, a Nashville singer lookalike in black shirt and tight trousers, is a broad stand-up with a few stand-out lines, some quirky dolls and plenty of predictable patter. His creations look good but do not always deliver. Visually realistic codger Walter felt like an excuse for clichés about racial stereotypes and stale marriages.
When Achmed appeared, the ovation was rock concert-deafening. With this politically incorrect skeleton Dunham has tapped into an escape valve for our deepest contemporary fears. Whether he could do this straight after an attack is debatable yet last night the crowd was convulsed with laughter. Even this infidel giggled at Achmed’s take on arranged marriages: "Have you ever bought a car without looking at it?"
By comparison, the other puppets lacked punch. I would have liked extra helpings of José the Jalapeno pepper and less of mutant muppet Peanut, who bordered on offensive with his ironic Benny Hill-style oriental accent.
For more skilful ventriloquism there is fellow American Jay Johnson, for a more inventive act there is David Strassman. Dunham’s internet invasion makes him a modern phenomenon but he is also exceedingly old-fashioned.
Jeff Dunham
HMV Apollo
Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH
