COMEDY | Feature
SIZE MATTERS
The comedy world of Russell Kane spins around grand ideas and major theories. He tells Brian Donaldson that Smallness may be his biggest project to date
Lindsey (she’s from the north, he’s from the south) and a surreal encounter in a hot tub with former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and her Formula One partner, Lewis Hamilton. And there are moments of ugly confrontation, with bullying schoolkids in an art gallery and drunken Geordies on holiday in the Far East. ‘I don’t write down my stand-up ever; you won’t i nd a document on my laptop that says “Smallness by Russell Kane”. At the top of the show just now, there’s a bit about Britishness and falling over, there’s the art gallery thing, a out e about N co e Sc e ge , a b t about routine about Nicole Scherzinger, a bit about sleeping through the night, and the Thailand sleeping through the night, and the Thailand story: that’s an hour as it is. If you’ve ever story: that’s an hour as it is. If you’ve ever seen a show by me two nights in a row, I seen a show by me two nights in a row, I think you’ll be shocked at how different think you’ll be shocked at how different each night is.’ each night is.’
Kane’s curse, if it can be called such a a Kane’s curse, if it can be called such a thing, is that he claims not to know how thing, is that he claims not to know how to write jokes and punchlines. ‘When to write jokes and punchlines. ‘When I’m on the road, the show will have I’m on the road, the show will have bits growing off the end of other bits. bits growing off the end of other bits. I’m literally just telling the stories that I’m literally just telling the stories that would have made my friends laugh down would have made my friends laugh down the pub. I may add a dramatic element to the pub. I may add a dramatic element to a story, but everything is true. Really true.’ a story, but everything is true. Really true.’
Russell Kane: Smallness Russell Kane: Smallness is at The Garage, is at The Garage, Glasgow, Sun 16 Glasgow, Sun 16 Mar. Mar.
‘Maybe the next one will be called Largeness’
R ussell Kane might be a larger-than-life presence on stage and able to sell out large venues across the country, but he is currently intrigued by small things. On his new national tour, he’s shunned the sprawling arenas to book rooms which vary in capacity from 200 to 1200 seaters. All of this is in keeping with the theme and title of his show: Smallness.
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just 55 peop e eac Warming up for his tour at the Edinburgh Fringe last August, Kane even played the tiniest room he could i nd at the Pleasance Courtyard, performing to just 55 people each night. ‘I’m he i rst person in the theatre to do by no means the i rst person in the theatre to do ted the space to comment on the this but I wanted the space to comment on the you don’t often get that luxury,’ material, and you don’t often get that luxury,’ if you were doing a show about he states. ‘But if you were doing a show about and you could i nd a T-shaped the letter T and you could i nd a T-shaped be insane not to do that. Maybe theatre, you’d be insane not to do that. Maybe will be called Largeness and I’ll the next one will be called Largeness and I’ll ersmith Apollo dates on sale.’ put ten Hammersmith Apollo dates on sale.’ his new show has several layers, The idea of his new show has several layers, nd notions of smallness, whether revolving around notions of smallness, whether the British psyche or the way that it’s to do with the British psyche or the way that ck on our lives. ‘I’ve experienced we all look back on our lives. ‘I’ve experienced nostalgia a hundred times. I left this feeling of nostalgia a hundred times. I left d landed the dream job doing university and landed the dream job doing so why am I thinking about copywriting, so why am I thinking about hen I’m at university, why am I university? When I’m at university, why am I t my nan’s l at? We’re addicted thinking about my nan’s l at? We’re addicted . I think it was Schopenhauer’s to the smaller. I think it was Schopenhauer’s e’re cursed by longing for the theory that we’re cursed by longing for the but when we grab it we just long thing in front, but when we grab it we just long were before.’ for where we were before.’ ideas man of comedy. He crams Kane is the ideas man of comedy. He crams ences and (yes) observations stories, references and (yes) observations ws, but they remain i xed to into his shows, but they remain i xed to a. So, in his 2010 Edinburgh a central idea. So, in his 2010 Edinburgh rd-winning set, Comedy Award-winning set, and Castles, Smokescreens and Castles, Englishness he explored Englishness tionship he and the relationship he ather; cultural had with his father; cultural analysed in is analysed snobbery in tension; and Theory of Pretension; and ic divide is the transatlantic divide is in Gaping picked apart in Gaping Flaws.
is ess, his For Smallness, his l eshed l eshed theory material out with material semi- semi- about (he (he celebrityhood comedy makes much comedy being hay out of being r Radio mistaken for Radio Grimshaw), 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw), hip with i ancée his relationship with i ancée
48 THE LIST 20 Feb–20 Mar 2014 Feb–20 Mar 2014