Ventriloquist’s 'Continuing Story' Leads to Joe’s Pub
Carla Rhodes isn’t your typical ventriloquist. In fact, forget the image of puppet and puppeteer courteously seated and prepared to make you laugh. While Rhodes maintains the basics, she’s more intent on shaking up the norm for better or for worst.
“The Continuing Story of Carla Rhodes” was staged at Joe’s Pub Sunday night in a haze of fuchsia and red lighting, projections, puppets, props and rock ‘n’ roll.
Loosely weaving her life story into a patchwork of distractions, the show opens on Rhodes in her youth and anxious to escape Kentucky. Electrocuted by a record player, Rhodes has a hallucination of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who appear as mentors in puppet form. A few jokes and musical numbers later, and despite Underbed Alligator’s warnings, her bags are packed and she’s ready to become a Big Star in the Big Apple.
On arrival, she meets other off-kilter puppets, like the homeless pigeon Herschel Ragbottoms found hiding out at the bottom of a trash can. Mallory Lewis, daughter of the late Sherry Lewis, also made an appearance with Lamb Chop, though the familiar puppet was nowhere near wholesome.
Dummy Cecil Sinclaire’s antics were by far the most well-received of the evening. Jabbing women, NYU students, emos, and all walks of life, his personality conflicted with his old-school appearance. Formerly appearing in vaudeville and stored in an old suitcase, Cecil’s got “an alcoholic in [his] throat” and describes Rhodes as “Shirley Temple on heroin.” He’s crass. He’s crude. And there’s no stopping him from speaking his mind.
While Rhodes has obviously embraced her love of puppetry, she didn’t appear to have any qualms about poking fun at herself or the art form. Accented with red attire and accessories, the curlicued ventriloquist breezily broke through the fourth wall on many occasions, commenting on anything from audio glitches to switching puppets.
Unfortunately, Rhodes threw her life story under the bus. Allowing the puppets and bundles of uninspired jokes to take over, the overall through line was lost. The performance turned into randomized vignettes that were easy to forget. Her saving grace was the creativity of it all, particularly the catchy tunes that accompanied the act.
Carla Rhodes certainly seems qualified to be a rock ‘n’ roll ventriloquist. But storytelling is one technique she’ll need to hone to keep her “Continuing Story” running.
-- Natalia Tamzoke
(Photos: Hanna Toresson)
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