March 29, 2024

‘Funniest night of your life’

Someone once said, “laughter is the best medicine.” If that is the case, everyone who attended the Jasper County Concert Association’s recent presentation by Todd Oliver received a good dose of that medicine. Oliver and his real talking dog, Irving, a Boston terrier, kept the audience laughing from start to finish.

From the age of 10, Oliver has been a performing ventriloquist. He started by volunteering to perform in nursing homes, hospitals and schools. After High school, he went around the world on cruise ships and spent 20 years on showboats in Nashville, Tenn. and Branson, Mo.

Oliver’s goal is to make families laugh together. He did this through an array of skits featuring Irving, the real talking dog, and Joey, Miss Lilly and Pops — three dummies that he “brought to life” before his audience. In addition, he mystified his audience with some magic tricks.

The culmination of his performance involved bringing two audience members on stage to perform with him. The audience left the auditorium still laughing at the antics of their fellow audience members.

If you missed this presentation, you missed “the funniest night of your life.” Thank you Jasper County Concert Association for once again bringing top-notch entertainment to our community.

Bob L. Lane

Newton