Travel Magazine:

"Illusion is the basic magic of all ventriloquists. I've seen them all, these illusionists who bring a bit of wood and paint to life…Edgar Bergen and Charlie, Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney, Jimmy Nelson and Danny O'Day and a dozen more. I even interviewed Bergen and McCarthy when I was a reporter for ABC-TV News. But no one touches this guy Russo. Not one of them could have captured an audience the way Russ and his sidekick Brooklyn Birch do. Russ with Brooklyn has appeared with all the legendary princes of entertainment. He is truly an artist…and a magician. He had a thousand people a night falling on the floor of the Admiral showroom. Russo and Brooklyn Birch: They made our nights memorable."

Richard Hathcock

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The Royal Odyssey:

"So often our appreciation of an artist is only expressed with an all too brief thank you – so, I should like to extend a most sincere expression of thanks for your superb contribution to the success of our entertainment program on board the Royal Odyssey. There are few acts that can compare with the spontaneity and professionalism that your delightful act brings to our stage. The Royal Odyssey has completely taken the character of 'Brooklyn Birch' to its heart and I can only echo the comments of our passengers –  "marvelous act....terrific show....brilliant ventriloquist" as being exactly our sentiments too. We hope that you will return many times to keep our audiences 'rolling in the isles'."

Michael Geske, Director of Entertainment

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Denver After Dark:

"The Turn Of The Century has a good thing going for them with their "moments to remember". The Four coins and the Four Lads are both good-and nostalgic – but what makes the whole evening worth the trip is ventriloquist 'Russ' Louis. His little dummy with the rolling eyes is as bawdy as Louis is a gentleman, and you'll find yourself laughing hysterically at the two."

Barry Morrison

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Around Town:

"Critics have singled 'Russ' Louis out as one of the finest technicians in the field of ventriloquism, noting that his lips truly seem to remain stationary, no matter how rapid the interchange between him and Brooklyn. "The puppet man" number, wherein Louis employs the "forbidden" words starting with "B" "P" "F", instead of making the usual substitutions, is a knockout. 

Louis, in addition to his technical expertise, is a master of the comic pause, the slow take, and the look of wounded outrage which he employs to hilarious advantage in his dueling with the alternately mischievous, wistful, sassy, or sarcastic Brooklyn. A high point of the act, showing off Louis' excellent singing voice, is "El Cumpari" sung with a machine gun exchange of sound effects between puppet and puppeteer. The finale of the act, a tribute to the most famous puppet of them all, "Pinocchio", is extremely effective, employing the beloved "When You Wish Upon A Star".

Louis has described his act jokingly as an "argument between right and left sides of his brain". However he describes it, it is a performance that should not be missed."

Steve Nichols, entertainment editor

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Caesar's Pride and Joy:
   Las Vegas

"The word is out at Caesar's Palace that Caesar is highly pleased with the 'powerhouse' opening of comedy ventriloquist Russo Louis, who headlines the new show "Follies On Ice". Aside from the technical brilliance of a man who perfected his craft under the microscopic eye of the television camera, the audiences seem most favorably inclined toward the comedy patterns developed by "Russ" and counter pointed by his Pinocchio-faced dummy, Brooklyn."

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On The Beach:
   Miami, FL

"Bright lights are flashing for Ventriloquist "Russ" (Russo) Louis. Don't walk – run to see him! Russo, comedy star, and his marionette, Brooklyn Pinocchio Birch, are unquestionably the most outstanding in their field. It is not surprising to see this entertainer of Sicilian parentage excel in the art that was born in Sicily where puppets come to life. Russo, who has been on every major network and has enjoyed wide popularity, breathes life in his wooden puppet as Michelangelo did with stone."

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