Blake Harrison - End Of The Pier interview
Blake Harrison says it's very nerve-racking performing stand-up comedy as part of the End Of The Pier play.
So, tell us a bit about your character?
Michael is one of the nation's favourite stand-ups at the moment. He's very successful, but his problem is that he feels like his comedy is just painting by numbers. Even though it's working for him and giving him a lot of success and a lot of money, he doesn't really believe in it and he doesn't feel like he's telling his truth as an observational comic.
He's not talking about the stuff he sees and the things that are important to him and he's worried that if he does start changing his routine to talk about the things he does truly care about then it would actually be detriment to his career. He worries that his career may take a huge nosedive, as it may not be what people want to hear.
What attracted you to doing this play?
I just thought the script was fantastic and the part had such an amazing journey to it, as Michael's not the person you think he is at the beginning of the play. It kind of requires you to do a bit of everything as an actor too, as obviously the comedy is in there, then there's a lot of drama in it and the characters are very nuance. There's also the added stand-up element of the show as well.
Yes, of course! How have you found performing stand-up comedy?
I've never thought of myself as wanting to do stand-up or anything like that but I do really respect it as a craft. It's been a nice way for me to dip a toe into that world. It's not me that's written it, it is character stand-up, but it's nice to have that feeling going on stage and knowing whether the audience like it as either they're laughing or they're not.
It's very nerve-racking, but also a lot of fun. I think the more you do it, the more you kind of sink into things. There have been a few topical things that have gone on in the news and in sport recently and I've been able to throw a few lines into it myself. I don't know the lifespan for those things, I might do it one day and people might be like "yeah, we're well past that now." So, that's something I'm going to have to find out!
Has it made you want to give stand-up a proper go?
It's been a great experience and really fun, but I never, ever thought I would want to do stand-up... and this experience hasn't changed that. I still would never want to do that; I'm solely an actor and am perfectly happy with just being an actor.
What sort of research did you do before taking on this role?
Well, I've got a few mates who are stand-ups, so I had plenty of chats with them about how they feel when they're about to go on stage, about how to know when you're performing well or not very well, so I was able to get an insight into it that way.
Also, I watched a lot of Jerry Seinfeld documentaries on Netflix, such as Comedian. There's one called Dying Laughing too, in which they interviewed a bunch of comedians talking about the fact that sometimes you're on tour and the first person that you speak to is the audience. There was a saying that popped up that I found really interesting which was "actors always want to be someone else, whereas a comedian wants to be the truest version of themselves". I don't know how true that is for all comedians, but I think that was an interesting thing given what Michael's going through in the play. It was good for me to think about.
Les Dennis plays Bobby, a very old school comedian in comparison to Michael's new school. How have you found that dynamic?
It's really interesting, the fact that both of them have their own opinions on what's funny and what's not, what's a cheap gag and what isn't a cheap gag. Bobby doesn't think that Michael's stuff is particularly funny and that he's not telling enough jokes, whereas Michael would look at a lot of the things that Bobby did back in the day as either offensive or cheap.
This story is very much about the changing attitude towards who and what we laugh at and what's acceptable to joke about. Why do you feel here and now is such a turning point in comedy?
Society is changing and it's also so polarised at the moment. People keep talking about Trump and Brexit, but it's very true that it's having a massive social impact and I think that we are getting a split society.
Some people are saying that we should only be making jokes about things that it's safe to be making jokes about and other people are saying that we should joke about absolutely everything, that it itself is a form of equality. I think that we're at a point in time that we're evolving very quickly socially and therefore I think comedy has to keep up with that.
What are you hoping people will take away from End Of The Pier?
I want them to come and have fun and have a good time. It is a very dark comedy and it does deal with some very sensitive issues, but ultimately it's still disguised as a comedy. You want people to laugh throughout and enjoy themselves.
What I think is such a beautiful thing about comedy is that when you hit the laughs right and then you throw in some very dark and sensitive subjects into the mix and play them with drama, then those moments actually become heavier and more poignant. I like that that's what we've done and, so far, the audience members that have come to me after the show have said exactly that; that they've found it very funny and entertaining but also they've gone away with something to think about.
They're now questioning their own views on race and class and what it's okay to make jokes about. They're also thinking about jokes from the past and whether they're appropriate, whether we should be condemning the people who did them, or should we be saying "they were of a time and, as long as they're left in that time, that's okay".
That's the main thing with theatre. I've always wanted to obviously entertain, but I also want to give food for thought afterwards - that's what I know, as an audience member, I love the most.
Comedy is forever evolving and this play really shows that. We've had the past, we've got the present, but what do you think is the future of comedy? What will we be laughing at next?
There's a line in the play from the character of Jenna who say that her favourite comedies are the ones that don't always make her laugh and I think, in a weird way, I find myself going down that road too. I'm a big fan of Atlanta and Master Of None, I love those shows and yes, they are funny, but there are loads of episodes that I find far more interesting than funny. They're brilliant when it comes to social commentary.
I directed a short film a while ago about dating apps and the effect it's having on our obsession with image and how we portray ourselves. It's a comedy and it gets quite farcical at points, but we wanted to make sure there was a message to what we were saying. They're my favourite things that I watch and are things that I want to do more of - things that are funny but also have a message that people will hopefully take away and be able to better themselves by thinking about.