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Sarah Millican is putting a sad past behind her and profiting from pain. Marissa Burgess pops round for a cuppa and finds that the Geordie comic may not be as dastardly as she wants us to believe
ho knows where the time went as I sat
gabbing with Sarah Millican in her
flat in a regenerated inner city area of Manchester. We're here to chat about Millican's debut Fringe show and her plan to bribe audiences with biscuits. ‘l.ook! "Not Nice" biscuits.‘ she exclaims holding out a Tupperware container full of Nice biscuits with hot pink icing transforming the etching at the top into ‘Not Nice‘. the name of her show. ‘I think there‘s a natural distrust when you offer audiences something to eat when it‘s not individually wrapped in plastic. They‘re laughing at me but don‘t know where my hands have been.‘
Consequently there‘ll be no tea break halfway through the show as she‘d initially planned. ‘I tried it and it didn’t work; I even made a flask of tea and took little sachets of sugar. I was all prepared. You know when something in practice doesn‘t work anywhere near as well as you thought'."
Still. the tea break may not have been popular in her preview shows". but the material is going down well. It stems from her stand-up set. a funny yet uplifting discourse about splitting with her husband and the inner strength that she discovered. which also got her up on stage. Millican has been a widely—discussed talent since her first forays on the circuit. With a sharp wit. musical (ieordie vowels and likeable stage
26 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE .%1 .Jiil i' /\'.l(] QWM
persona. she was awarded runner-up position in both the BBC New (‘omedy Award and So You Think You're l‘unny‘.’ and won the Amused Moose new act competition.
in Not Nice. Millican explores the kind of questions people ask themselves when they go through a major break—up particularly with their first and (at that point) only lover. 'l.ike. what if l'm not any good at the sex?!‘ she confesses with mock horror. ‘()h my god! My husband was my one and only partner: what if he'd just been polite for seven years: “I‘ve just had enough of pretending that it’s going well. she‘s wanting to do things that aren‘t normal!” So I had to think about that.’
But ultimately. Millican is more concerned that her show. rather than being a worthy diatribe on behalf of the independent woman. is funny. ‘I want people to come out and maybe have done a little bit of a wee or had some kind of mild chest pains. That‘s what I‘d like: that‘s my aim. really. If somebody could fall off their chair . . . Having seen Millican several times on the circuit. we must warn you that you might want to take a few cushions to ensure a soft landing.
Sarah Millican, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2-24 Aug (not 13), 7.15pm, £9.50—£10.50 (284:9). Previews until 1 Aug, £5.
Cry freedom
Amnesty lntemational supporter Ed Byme may not be sure where he fits in any more but, as he tells Doug Johnstone, this keeps him in material
Who'd go out with an observational stand—up? Every secret of your relationship would be exposed to ridicole for paying punters. That hasn't stopped Ed Byrne managing to tie the knot. but it was purely for research purposes. you understand. 'Previously I'd go out with somebody. and when there was nothing else to write about we'd break up.‘ he laughs. 'It was clear this relationship wasn't going to break up. so I thought we should get married so I could pick up some new material about the run up to the big day. I guess having kids will need to be the next stressful thing to give me material.’
The long-haired lrish stand-up's new show. Different Class. plays heavily on wedding plan mayhem. but as the title suggests there's also a fair amount of angst about his place in society. ‘l've become quite middle class because of my success at the iob.‘ he says. ‘But I don't feel comfortable mixing with middle class types. and I've never felt comfortable With working class types either. they don't trust me. ljust don't fit in.”
The secret of Byrne's success is his blend of affable Irish charm with a more acerbic streak. Despite the odd vitriolic rant. his is all—inclusive comedy. a welcoming romp through the infuriating side of life. As well as his own show. Byme is taking part in one of Amnesty lnternational's two star- studded Stand-Up for Freedom nights alongside the likes of Rich Hall and Lucy Porter. in an event supported by The List. Byme has made a pomt of doing the Amnesty gigs every year at Edinburgh.
‘My interest in Amnesty started to grow in 1998 when the campaign focused on two Burmese comedians. U Lu Zaw and U Pa Pa Lay. who were in jail for deing antiestablishment satire. That opened a lot of comics' eyes to the freedoms we take for granted being denied els<—>where.'
Having honed his craft over 15 years. Byme is now a comedian for all occasions. and this MATERIAL'
season he's playing the festivals ciircuit. ‘Over the years I've built tip material that covers the age spectrum] he says. 'At Edinburgh. I've definitely feund my audience. I'm getting older and my audience is growing up With me.‘
Ed By/‘iie, Assembly Hall. (523 3030, 2—2:”) Aug (not :3. 12). 10.20pm, 5.‘ l4—Fi7 l!‘ iii—5‘ 1(5). Prey/ews 3 7 Jul 8. 1 Aug, F5: Stand— Up for Freedom. Asseiiiblv Hall. (523 3030. (3. 13 Aug. iii/d/i/ght. 5‘1450 lf‘12.:30i.