THE ALLISON WONDERS SHOW to Debut at United Solo Festival

Atlanta-based comedic ventriloquist Allison Wonders will bring her original solo comedy experience, “The Allison Wonders Show,” to New York City this fall when “The Allison Wonders Show” takes the stage on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, as part of the United Solo Festival, the world's largest solo theater festival.

Part stand-up comedy, part theatrical variety show, and part controlled chaos, “The Allison Wonders Show” features Wonders performing alongside seven original puppets and more than 10 distinct voices in a nostalgic, irreverent, and adults-only production.

“Imagine if Carol Burnett met Jeff Dunham on Avenue Q — that's the energy of this show,” said Wonders. “Performing this show in New York is especially meaningful to me. I grew up coming here to visit my grandmother and see Broadway shows, and I've dreamed about performing on a New York stage for years.”

Wonders' colorful cast tackles everything from the voices in our heads and aging to relationships, climate change, cosmic wisdom and the wonderfully weird things people usually keep to themselves.

There's Marge, the self-appointed chairman of Wonders' “Inner Critics Association,” who never misses an opportunity to point out what she's doing wrong; Mother Earth, who has a decidedly different explanation for global warming; Mitzi, a ballsy New Yorker and self-described “psychic medium” — or perhaps a “medium psychic”; Zolly, a parrot from the Amazon — Amazon.com, that is; and Cecil, who is old, hearing impaired, and completely unhinged.

And then there's Barbie, a puppet whose journey to New York carries a much more personal story.

In March 2020, just before the world shut down, Wonders attended a surprise 60th birthday party for the sister of her longtime friend, Jami. Jami's mother, Barbie, had known Wonders for most of her life, and the two shared a love of Broadway and performing.

Wonders had recently begun ventriloquism, so Jami had a puppet created in her mother's likeness. At the party, Wonders surprised Barbie with the puppet — dressed to look just like her — and the two performed a short routine together. Later that evening, they gathered around the piano and sang Broadway songs for hours.

A few hours after Wonders went home, Barbie passed away.

“She had been in a lot of pain, but that night she got to laugh, sing and perform — the things she loved,” said Wonders. “The next day, I was given her puppet. I kept trying to figure out what her voice should be, but Barbie apparently had her own idea. She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to sing.”

More than six years later, Barbie will now join Wonders onstage in New York. “For me, there's something incredibly special about bringing her here,” Wonders added. “Barbie loved Broadway. I love Broadway. Now we both get to perform in New York.”

Barbie is only one of the unexpected personalities audiences will encounter. One additional puppet remains deliberately under wraps — a surprise character Wonders says has left previous audiences gasping, laughing, and coming back to see the show again.