B'way-Bound Jay Johnson: The Two & Only! Faces California Critics

Ventriloquist Jay Johnson has performed his solo show at various locations, including an off-Broadway run. Now, Johnson, best known for appearing on the television show Soap, is readying Jay Johnson: The Two & Only! for an engagement at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre starting March 21. To prepare for the Great White Way, he is presenting a revised version of the piece at the Brentwood Theater in Los Angeles from January 20 to February 19. Did local critics enjoy Johnson and his onstage pals?

Here is a sampling of what they had to say:

Steven Oxman of Variety: "What most charms is the feeling that Johnson… really was born to pursue this strange vocation, and that his puppets seem to bring him fully to life even more than the other way around. Johnson has a good time telling us about the history of ventriloquism… To their credit, Johnson and his co-conceivers and directors, Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel, return to such psychological speculation at the end to tie all this together in a consideration of why ventriloquism continues to fascinate. But while fairly well-crafted, the biographical monologues -- with a focus on Johnson's relationship with his mentor, Arthur Sieving--remain a means of piecing together the stars of the evening, the characters who reside in all those suitcases."

Charles McNulty of The Los Angeles Times: "There's something about a grown man with his hand up a puppet that inevitably arouses suspicion. That's the underlying lesson from Jay Johnson: The Two and Only, the genial though ultimately unremarkable solo show by the ventriloquist best known for his Chuck and Bob routine on the groundbreaking '70s sitcom Soap… Whenever he senses the audience might be growing restless, he or one of his inanimate cast members which includes a sock-puppet snake, a meek tennis ball, two wooden man-boys, a death-hungry vulture and a monkey with a rotten stand-up act makes a self-deprecating quip. And that's the other thing you observe about ventriloquists from watching Johnson: They seem to lack the courage of their theatrical convictions… The most moving part of the show is the one Johnson skimps on telling--his own."

Jeff Favre of The Daily Breeze: "Jay Johnson: The Two and Only chronicles the man and his craft, and it does so in a magical way. This 90-minute conversation between Johnson, a dozen or so of his 'friends,' and the audience is remarkably touching and funny. It will easily end the year as one of the top plays to appear in the city."