“The Ronnie Johns Half Hour. If you remember it from TV you’re one of the lucky few,” laughs Jordan Raskopoulos – better known as Petie the Consumer Watchdog, for us lucky few.
Television’s Ronnie Johns Half Hour has returned in the form of an 80 minute stage show. The sketch show is back and ready to entertain and offend us all again, censored only by the cowboy host Ronnie Johns and his Good Taste Pony. It will contain obscene language and will not be suitable for children. With disclaimers like that you know this show is going to be awesome!
The Ronnie Johns Half Hour was last televised in 2006 and since then the members of the cast have all been busy with their own projects. Heath Franklin has taken his character Chopper Reed on the Harden the F#ck up Australia Tour and Jordan Raskopoulos has focused his attentions on his comedy band, The Axis of Awesome. Raskopoulos says it’s good to be back with Ronnie Johns.
“Over the last couple of years we’ve all gone off and done our own thing, and it’ll be nice to come back with the old group and just do some silly sketches together,”
“It will be a reunion of Ronnie Johns old characters, plus some new situations and characters,” Raskopoulos says. Any hints about any of these new characters? Yes. “There’s a P.E. teacher called Jase.” Intriguing!
With characters like Poppy (the child with the scrapbook of age inappropriate pictures), Mlak Mlak (the ungrateful sponsor child), and Ronnie Johns (the slightly effeminate cowboy on the Paper Mache horse who has an unhealthy obsession with prairie dogs), you can expect the show to be not your average Sunday night at the theatre. The stage show will continue with the kind of lively and inappropriate material that made the TV show so much fun.
“[The show is] Silly and irreverent,” Raskopoulos explains. “Not trying to be overly political. Occasionally we will say something about our own views and ideas but mostly it’s just about entertaining the audience… We’re very proud of our show and if more people are introduced to Ronnie Johns via the stage show then we’ll be very happy.”
The Ronnie Johns Half Hour - Live Show is playing at the Playhouse on Sunday February 21. Tickets $38/$34, call Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700 for details and bookings.
