Jeff Dunham

Brings Hysterical Ventriloquist Routine to The Theatre at the Frank Erwin Center

Jeff Dunham is rapidly becoming one of the most popular ventriloquist and comedians around. His runaway success of shrewd, contemporary and cutting-edge comedy has moved Dunham out of small clubs and into sold-out concert halls and arenas. His one hour special on Comedy Central is one of the highest rated standup specials ever and his standup DVD has sold over 500,000 copies in the past year. Not bad considering the average comedy DVD sells around 25,000 copies.

Dunham’s team consists of Peanut, a frenzied and fast self-described ‘comic genius,’ who claims origin from an uncharted island in Micronesia; then there is Walter, an everyman-curmudgeon whose opinions on any person or any subject spew forth in a delightfully unbridled fashion; José Jalapeño avoided his destiny to be eaten when he teamed up with Jeff after an accident in his home country of Mexico; there’s Melvin, a mild-mannered, no-real-power superhero who wants to save our country from evil, meanwhile he keeps getting locked inside the suitcase; and finally there’s Achmed, the dead terrorist. “These guys are my secret weapon,” says Dunham. “There’s some sort of unspoken rule that allows them to say things and make observations that no mere human could ever get away with, and it’s all under the guise of comedy.” It appears as if the secret is out about Dunham and his characters. His 2008 tour has featured many sold out shows and Dunham has even had to add second shows to some venues to fill the demand.

Dunham is successful in part because he creates truly subjective comedy and multi-generational entertainment which appeals to every age group. He has created notable quotes such as Jose Jalapeño’s “On a STEEK” and Achmed’s “I KILL YOU!” that are quickly becoming audience favorites. “You really have to have been there to understand it when folks walk out of a comedy show saying to each other, “I KILL YOU!,” says Dunham. He has been featured on late night television shows as well as The Best Damn Sports Show, Blue Collar TV and CMT’s Fast Living among many others. Dunham was actually featured on Fast Living for another passion; building and flying his own full-sized personal helicopter. “One of my oldest friends said to me once when he was in the passenger seat at 1200 feet, ‘I just realized I’m flying in a helicopter built by the same guy who built Walter.’?  In the DVD extras of Dunham’s second standup, you won’t see him building a helicopter, but you will see Melvin the superhero being built from start to finish.   Says Dunham, ?I would set up my video camera in each step of the process then talk about and show what it takes to create a dummy.  After editing all the footage to a nice little 30-minute extra, my manager said, ‘It’s like Monster Garage with a puppet.?  I THINK that was a compliment!?

Be sure to catch Dunham and his team of comedians as they take the stage at The Theatre at the Frank Erwin Center on October 2.