ENTERTAINMENT
e s No Dummy
onathan Geffner often
takes several heads
with him when he
travels.
He'll take Aunt Sarah's
head and Yosi's and maybe
Danny's.
Their bodies go into suit-
cases.
Mr. Geffner is a ventrilo-
quist who performs with his
cast of characters — in-
cluding Yosi, Aunt Sarah
and Danny — in shows
throughout the United
States. Before boarding the
plane, he regularly
decapitates the dummies
and keeps their fragile heads
with him. Only their cloth
bodies are sturdy enough to
make it through the rough-
and-tough world of baggage
handlers.
Mr. Geffner will visit
Detroit on June 28, sharing
the stage with singer
Michoel Streicher for
Yeshivat Darchei Torah's
third annual summer con-
cert. The program, for adults
and children, begins 12:15
p.m. at West Bloomfield
High School.
A New York native, Mr.
Geffner had various careers
before becoming a ventrilo-
quist.
He originally dreamed of
j
Jonathan
Geffner takes
the words right
out of his
partners'
mouths.
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Assistant Editor
being a concert pianist and
holds a master's degree in
piano. But such a career is
"isolating," requiring long
hours of solo practice, Mr.
Geffner said. And the com-
petition is overwhelming;
"there's very little space for
concert pianists."
Mr. Geffner, who holds a
bachelor's degree in Yiddish
language and literature,
also considered education.
For years, he taught Yiddish
to both children and adults.
His third option: im-
provisational theater, which
he studied for almost five
years.
"For awhile, it was my
greatest obsession," Mr. Gef-
fner said. "I found it very
liberating. I'm basically shy,
and it really brought me out.
I felt more free, more confi-
dent and spontaneous."
It also left him with the
possibility of living without
a steady income. Faced with
the knowledge of countless
New York waiters and
waitresses also looking for
their big theatrical break,
Mr. Geffner realized his
chance at stardom was about
nil. "I saw," he said, "this
wasn't going to go anywhere
in a hurry."
Then, like a scene out of
some sentimental Technicolor
musical, it happened.
He was walking through
New York City's Columbus
Circle when he saw a street
performer and his puppet. It
was about seven years ago.
Mr. Geffner had his first vi-
sion of a live — that is, not
on television —ventrilo-
quist.
"I thought it was the most
wonderful thing in the
world, this creating the illu-
sion of life," he said. "That's
when it hit me. I said, 'I just
have to do this.' "
Soon after, he saw a maga-
zine ad with Christmas
greetings from a ventrilo-
quist. Mr. Geffner called him
up and "I told him I was dy-
ing to become a ventrilo-
quist."
The two met up, and six
lessons later Mr. Geffner
was on his own.
"He had taught me the
basic techniques," Mr. Geff-
ner said. "Then for six mon-
ths, I practiced obsessively
— until my throat was sore."
He also "made it a point to
meet every ventriloquist I
possibly could" and
"collected ventriloquist
videotapes through the ven-
triloquist grapevine that I'd
found."
Then he brought his
puppet, Shmendrik, when he
went to teach Yiddish to
children. The boys and girls
didn't just like Shmendrik;
"They would revolt if I
didn't bring him," Mr. Geff-
ner said.
Six years ago, Mr. Geffner
made his first public perfor-
mance as a ventriloquist. He
was as popular as Arnold
Schwarzenegger at a body-
building convention.
"I remember driving home
in ecstasy that day," Mr.
Geffner said. "I knew then I
could make it."
Parents began seeking
him out. "They would ask,
`Do you do birthday par-
ties?' " he recalled. "And I
would say, 'Oh, yes,' then
think, 'How am I going to do
this?' "
Mr. Geffner, who writes all
his own material, also
started appearing at public
schools. He created educa-
tional theme shows, which
emphasize brotherhood, and
anti-drug programs.
Today, being a ventrilo-
quist is his full-time job.
"It is the perfect medium
for me," Mr. Geffner said.
"It gives me the opportunity
Jonathan Geffner and friends: Creating the illusion of life.
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