25/04/11
But there is much more to his comedy than impressions – Alistair is truly a man of many talents. In “The One and Many … Alistair McGowan,” he will also be delivering sharp observations on footballers, film stars, romance, animals, and “greenery”. In addition, the stand-up will be displaying his trademark dazzling wordplay – he may even treat us to a spot of poetry.
The 44-year-old star doesn’t need a lot of stage paraphernalia to be enormously entertaining. In “The One and Many … Alistair McGowan,” there will be no make-up or costume changes – just one man, a microphone and an astounding array of voices, including, most importantly, his own. You will no doubt be delighted to hear that Alistair is bringing this compelling new show to a theatre near you very soon.
Alistair, who will also be performing the show in an eagerly anticipated run at the Edinburgh Festival from 6 to 31 August at the Rainy Hall in the Assembly Rooms, makes for a most engaging interviewee. Of course, he has at his disposal a multitude of voices - which can pop out to join us at the drop of a hat. But he is also a highly intelligent man and a performer who thinks long and hard about his art. Oh yes, and he is gloriously, naturally funny. All in all, it’s an absolute pleasure to spend an hour in his company.
So what persuaded Alistair to come back to the live arena? “I did a panto at Christmas,” recollects the comedian, taking a sip of water. “In the middle of the show, I did a solo spot and it went really well. That made me think, ‘it’s great fun doing the voices and people obviously really love them.’ So I thought the time was right to go back.” His instincts were spot-on.
Alistair, who has built up a highly acclaimed career as a stage actor in productions such as Little Shop of Horrors (for which he received an Olivier nomination), The Merry Wives of Windsor, Measure for Measure and Cabaret, was also inspired to return to stand-up by a couple of other great comedians of his generation. “I would sit at home watching most sketch shows and thinking, ‘I don’t find this funny. If this is what makes people laugh, I don’t think I can do it anymore.’ In 1988, John Cleese said, ‘I’m retiring from comedy because I don’t know what makes people laugh anymore.’ I felt the same.
“But suddenly along came Harry and Enfield and Paul Whitehouse with their fantastic BBC1 sketch show, and I instantly got it. What they do is brilliant. They’re not trying to please anyone else – they’re just performing what they observe. You can’t try and be like the latest 22-year-old – you just have to do what you think is funny. Harry and Paul made me think, ‘I can do this, you know!’ So here I am, back performing live and trying to make people laugh.”
What is terrifically exciting is that Alistair has acquired so many new voices in recent times. “It’s four years since the end of The Big Impression, and when I sat down to plan the tour, I thought, ‘actually, there’s very nice clutch of people I haven’t done before.’” Hot-off-the-presses impressions include: Adrian Chiles, Arsene Wenger, Gok Wan, John Terry, Bear Grylls, Harry Redknapp, Alan Carr, Fabio Capello, Jimmy Carr and Boris Johnson.
After an absence from the stand-up arena of ten years, the comic also feels he has loads of new things to say. “I loved my time in the theatre, but I started to think ‘I don’t think that joke works’,” reflects Alistair, who won both a Bafta and a Royal Television Society Award for The Big Impression. “I did a Neil Simon play and 30 out of the 300 jokes always bombed. I thought, ‘I’d prefer to do my own jokes that don’t work rather than someone else’s!’
“The great thing about stand-up is you can be your own script editor and constantly re-write your material,” continues the comedian, a hugely accomplished TV actors who has starred in such straight dramas as Bleak House, Mayo and Preston Front. “Stand-up is about inviting the audience into your world rather than producing something homogenised. I feel that now I’m realising my own voice.
“Years ago, I’d see comedians leaving the circuit and then coming back, and I’d think, ‘why?’ But now I completely understand that. There are a lot of new gags I want to tell and a lot of new ideas I want to give vent to. Since the end of the TV show, I’ve had four years to re-fuel, and now I’m relishing the prospect of coming back with all this fresh material.“
The comic, who is a passionate campaigner for environmental issues, serves as an ambassador for WWF-UK and played a pivotal role in Greenpeace’s efforts earlier this year to prevent a third runway being built at Heathrow, adds that he is also looking forward to playing with language in the new show. “I’ve always been obsessed with words. They have such power – we all carry these incredible weapons in our heads.”
Audiences adore impressions, and Alistair reflects on the massive popularity of his chosen speciality. “People really do love impressions. It’s like necromancy – people don’t expect that voice to come out of that face. There you are, talking like yourself when suddenly –bang! – ‘why is Louis Theroux speaking out of your face? That’s not right!’ People claim impressions are about puncturing pomposity, but ultimately they’re about audiences saying, ‘that’s Adrian Chiles’ voice in your face.’ They adore being taken by surprise like that. It’s the ultimate magic act.
“When people watch comedy, they love to pat themselves on the back and say, ‘that’s exactly what I think!’ It’s the same with impressions. They may have been aware of something about Colin Firth or Gary Lineker, but until I point it out, they have never really analysed it. So when I say, ‘doesn’t Gok Wan sound exactly like Simon Cowell, but camper?’, audiences recognise that and immediately laugh.”
Impressions also give Alistair an extra comedy weapon. “I have loads of puns which work better when I do them as David Beckham rather than as myself. People can believe that Becks would that mistake. So you’ve got the voice and you’ve got the gag - it’s a double whammy!” Alistair adds that in the show, “you only want to hear a voice once. But I haven’t done an hour before, so you might end up hearing eighteen minutes of Becks!”
It is an astoundingly busy time for this most fertile of performers. Alistair is taking a second show to Edinburgh, “Cocktails with Coward,” which showcases a selection of Noel Coward’s most magnetic songs and poems. This summer he has a new film out called My Life in Ruins, in which he plays a Greek tour guide opposite Nia Vardalos and Richard Dreyfus and in October a new play he has penned, “Heavy Pencil,” will premiere at the King’s Head Theatre in London. As if that weren’t enough already enough, also this October a new book Alistair has co-written with his Big Impression collaborator, Ronni Ancona, entitled “A Matter of Life and Death (or How to Wean A Man off Football)”, will be published. Phew!
The title of “The One and Many … Alistair McGowan” underlines the multiplicity of his talents. “With this show,” he muses,” I’m living out my favourite line from Shakespeare, which comes from Richard II: ‘'Thus play I in one person many parts and none of them contented.'
“I love doing all these different things at the same time. I like to be bits of everything simultaneously. I chose the title, ‘The One and Many’ not just because I do lots of different voices, but also because there are many sides to me and to all of us. I’ve never thought that only doing one thing is what life is all about. There is such a richness in diversity.”
Alistair concludes that he doesn’t mind being so frantically busy –in fact, he positively relishes it. “I’m booked up till January, but I love being busy,” he beams. “I don’t think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.”
A pause, before the effortless comedian adds with a broad grin: “but, by God, my jaws are aching right now!”