Comic ventriloquist Jeff Dunham will re-introduce Tucson to his newest characters when he plays Casino del Sol’s AVA Saturday.
There’s his mini-me, Little Ugly Jeff, and Achmed the Dead Terrorist’s son Achmed Junior — AJ for short.They join the rest of the entourage — Peanut, José Jalapeño on a Stick and Walter — characters we’ve gotten to know very well over the past 12 or 13 years that Dunham has been visiting Tucson. Long before he was a household name, Dunham was a yearly headliner at Laffs Comedy Caffe, playing four- to six-show runs. Even as his fortunes rose, Dunham has not forgotten us — although now he’s playing one-night only gigs at much larger venues.
We met AJ at his last AVA show in 2010. On Saturday, we get to meet Little Jeff.
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We caught up with Dunham via email and found out a little bit about the new guys and his new Comedy Central special airing next month.
The inspiration behind AJ and Little Jeff: “Achmed the Dead Terrorist was so popular and had gotten so much attention, not just in our own country, but through countries and on YouTube all throughout the world. I thought, ‘Well, I think the next follow-up has got to have something to do with Achmed,’ and one of the jokes in the Christmas special is that Achmed said he is not a good father and I said, ‘Why not?’ and he said, ‘Well I took my son to take your kid to work day,’ so I took that one joke and thought, ‘Well maybe his son actually wasn’t killed, maybe he was just injured and the two were separated after the accident and now have been reunited’ So that’s how AJ came about.
“As for Little Jeff, I’ve seen an upswing in interest among younger people in practicing the art of ventriloquism. It’s one of the reasons I created Little Jeff. There will be a Little Jeff doll that will be a fully operational dummy that will give young and old alike the opportunity to try out the craft.”
His fifth Comedy Central special “Minding the Monsters” debuts on Oct. 7: “‘Minding the Monsters’ takes the audience into the ultimate haunted house experience where Walter transforms into something grumpier than he already is! Bubba J rises from the dead. Meet Peanut’s alter ego, The Purple Avenger of the Night, and his spicy sidekick! And witness Achmed literally dressed to kill in an outfit that would terrify the most terrifying terrorist! Yes, Tucson will get a sneak peak at the fun to come, and I think everyone will be surprised.”
Dunham’s show starts at 8 p.m. Saturday at the AVA, 5655 W. Valencia Road.Reserved seats are all gone, but you can snag a spot in the lawn for $40. See review here early Sunday.
