‘TikTok is like an old-school variety show’: what’s behind the surprising boom in ventriloquism?

The once musty old art of voice-throwing is back in vogue on stage and online. Its new hip practitioners – plus 1980s TV mainstay Roger De Courcey – explain why their vocal tricks and errant dummies are wowing audiences againIt is the greatest duet, performed solo. Ventriloquism acts became a popular entertainment in the 18th century and have flickered in and out of favour ever since, with a particular heyday on TV in the 1970s and 80s. Now a new generation of performers are reimagining the practice of “throwing your voice” to a puppet or dummy – and they are doing so not just in cabaret and comedy clubs but also on social media feeds.The art form has such a rich history that its modern-day practitioners can be “perceived as just doing an old thing”, says 25-year-old Max Fulham, who is in Edinburgh with his debut fringe show, Full of Ham. Fulham fell in love with ventriloquism when he was nine, absorbing everything he could find about the craft online. “I watched really old-school stuff like Ray Alan, Arthur Worsley and Terri Rogers … I have a massive appreciation for them.” Continue reading...

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