American ventriloquist David Strassman says his new show, iTedE, is his most technologically advanced to date. So there's some irony in the fact that one of the major strands of iTedE is an attack on the adverse effect technology is having on modern life.

Two of the characters, the sharp-tongued Chuck Wood and cuddly Ted E. Bare, are addicted to social media, constantly glued to their Pads and iPhones and detached from the real world, and Strassman is concerned.

"It's ruining their lives," he says.

But can Strassman fight against the internet tide and get his puppets back under control?

The Chuck appearing in iTedE is the tattooed, skinheaded "Evil Twin" version that was used in a previous show, Careful What You Wish For, so it might be even more of an uphill battle than usual.

"Chuck spends a lot of time on Pinder - Tinder for puppets," Strassman says.

Other characters besides the naive Ted E., are the bear's elderly Grandpa Fred, the alien Kevin, Sid Beaverman, a beaver who's an aspiring stand-up comic, and Buttons, an alcoholic clown - "he was abused by the clergy as a child".

As should be clear by now, this is not a show for children - it's classified MA15+.for language and adult material.

"Chuck uses pub language," Strassman says.

The theme of Strassman's show appears to have been inspired, in part, by a very real concern for the way his country has been heading.

"A reality TV star got elected president because of social media - and an asshole at that," he says.

"He was elected because of misinformation and propaganda."

And the idea that was floated recently of another celebrity candidate, Oprah Winfrey, running against the US president in question, Donald Trump, at the next election didn't fill him with joy either.

"It's totally insane."

The show's climax is an extended six-way conversation between Strassman and five of the puppets which he operates via remote control and voices live, switching between characters on the fly.

Some audience members don't realise he's doing this, he says, assuming the puppets' voices are pre-recorded, unless he makes a mistake, which does happen on occasion.

"I stuff up once in a while, which makes it all the funnier."

Strassman has been performing iTedE since 2013 and says, "One of the fantastic opportunities I have in my show is, when you go and see a play like Matilda, you can't change one word, but this is my show and my life and there are little improvisations almost every night."

If a joke goes well, it will stay in; if it doesn't, it won't, and he's free to add topical and local references to keep the show fresh and and up to date.

Strassman started out in New York comedy clubs in the 1970s and says most of his act is still traditional "hand up the bum" ventriloquism although by the 1980s he was making use of his interest in electronics - he's a model aeroplane enthusiast - to enhance his act. The complexity of the robotronics has only grown over the years and now, he says, "My show relies on more than 60 robotic servers and I am the robotic engineer."

He's been coming to Australia for three decades, establishing quite a presence - he even had his own TV show for a while - and the ACT has long been on his circuit.

"I first played Canberra in the mid-'90s," he says. He's made the Playhouse his regular venue for a long time and this season will be his longest here yet with a whole week spent in Canberra (including one night of performances in Queanbeyan).

He'll have a Saturday night performance filmed with three cameras, the first time he's shot a show in Canberra.

"The Playhouse as a performance venue is great - it's a beautiful theatre," he says.