One of the many interesting things about Ronn Lucas and his highly entertaining ventriloquism show at The Rio is the fact that this is the second time we’ve been more impressed with an inexpensive afternoon show than we have been in the big-budget extravaganzas that play later at night. Just goes to show you that because you pay more doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get more.

Lucas has been around for awhile but we got turned on to his show after seeing Mac King’s fantastic afternoon comic-magic show. Just like that show, Lucas eschews high-tech distraction and armies of background entertainers and instead aims straight down the middle of the road for good old-fashioned comedy.

He starts out by bringing the audience in on the joke, explaining that no matter what you’re about to see they are only puppets. Like Penn and Teller who deconstruct magic and illusion, Lucas’ riff on the ventriloquist game is funny and fascinating, especially when he turns it around and makes you start believing the puppets are real. It’s a testament to his skill as a performer and a ventriloquist that he’s able to pull this off.

Among his characters are Scorch, the maladjusted teenage dragon and Buffalo Billy the maladjusted cowboy. Why are so many puppets maladjusted? Who knows? But they are both very funny characters with enough edge and bite in the humor to keep the adults laughing without straying too far into territory that will be inappropriate for the kids. Most of the jokes are ventriloquist classic, ultimately the epic battle of wills between puppet and master, but that doesn’t make the schtick any less funny.

He also creates a character out of a microphone stand, a created-before-your-eyes sock-puppet, and even a hapless audience member who is turned into a life-size ventriloquist dummy. It’s all great, harmless fun and while it may not be the world’s largest LED screen or death-defying acrobats it’s still an entertaining hour, especially when you take the $29.95 cost into account. That price includes a drink and a bunch of souvenir memorabilia but if you feel like even that bargain is too much, you can often find discount coupons at the Rio or on the pages of the in-room magazines you’ll find at your hotel.