The Punchline Comedy Club tour is a renowned tour de force on the comedy circuit and this year they’ve added Abu Dhabi to their roster of mirth. To find out more about what makes a stand-up tick and just what makes a joke funny, we spoke to one of the men who will be taking the stage…
Geoff Boyz
The anatomy of a joke
Fast, funny Scottish comedian and impressionist Geoff Boyz began his career on the infamous Edinburgh Festival circuit. Here, he tells Time Out the secrets to making it as a stand-up.
How do you know something is funny?
Usually you find this out pretty quickly and you can judge it [the gag] on how much laughter it gets first time around. It’s something that’s within you because you’ll naturally know the structure of the joke and how to get to the punchline. It’s all a question of trying to connect the pieces together to get across what you’re talking about.
Do you test your jokes beforehand?
Yes. Try it out at least three times before you decide to keep it or dump it. For example if I’m out with friends for dinner or something I’ll say, ‘I’ve got this new bit for my show I want to try.’ And if it gets a laugh I’ll try it on stage. Your stage time is so important though because there’s a big difference between how you’ll tell friends a joke and how you’ll perform to a real audience – that’s when you really find out if it works.
Be prepared to try it more than once, though.
How much time do you spend on delivery compared to writing?
You find your way with delivery at the beginning of your career because you’ll quickly work out what works best for you and whether you’re going to be an impressionist or more of an observational comedian or a mix of them all. Then once you’ve been on the stage for a bit you’ll evolve and develop your personality. Think about what gags suit you, how your voice sounds; are you fast-paced or slow? Do you move around a lot and so on. You’ll evolve as your career progresses.
How long does a show take to write?
This is different for everyone. When I started out I’d take time away to write and prepare material for the likes of the Edinburgh Festival, for example, but with me now I’ll just evolve. A lot of my writing is actually done on stage as well because I do a lot of improvising. I always have my phone switched on to record stuff, otherwise I’ll forget it. Sometimes some of your older material will get refreshed as well on the stage.
How will you adapt your material to the audience over here in the UAE, given the vast cultural differences between here and the UK?
I’ve just come back from Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai where we were playing to lots of expats, Americans and Australians that work out there and even some Chinese people, too! There was myself and some other comedians on the tour and by the end of the first day we already had jokes about the driving out there, because the way people drive is crazy. So you write about where you are.
Finally, can you tell us a joke?
It was hard getting over my addiction to the hokey-cokey but I turned myself around and that’s what it’s all about.
Geoff plays The Punchline Comedy Club tour at The Clubhouse at Zayed Sports City, Friday March 15, doors 7.30pm, show 9pm. Tickets Dhs200 from www.timeouttickets.com.
Tommy Tiernan
The controversy and the comedy
Tommy Tiernan is known as one of Ireland’s angriest and most outspoken comedians. He is also known for his loud onstage rants and for being plastered across the papers for saying inappropriate things. His name is frequently mentioned in the same sentence as the words racism and prejudice following some ill-timed jokes about the Holocaust and Down’s Syndrome sufferers. Even his own website acknowledges Tiernan has been dubbed ‘the most controversial comedian in Ireland’. Despite the media reputation, after just five minutes in conversation with the comic we’re convinced it must have been a troublemaking evil twin who was responsible for the controversial escapades.
Instead, we’re met with a softly spoken gent who tells us, in lulling Irish tones, he likes to meditate and listens to piano jazz. ‘Improvised music puts me in a frame of mind for the best ideas,’ he says.
Tommy does admit his commitment to the moment might be why he gets himself into hot water. ‘The spirit needs to be in you,’ he says. ‘If I’m onstage and I have an idea, I have to follow it. If I don’t, all ideas stop.’
Growing up in Ireland, with spells spent in London and Zambia, 43-year-old Tiernan’s comedic career took off in 1998 when he won both the Edinburgh Fringe’s Perrier Comedy Award, and the Best Stand-Up Award at the British Comedy Awards. His international career was further boosted by appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman in the US and the Michael McIntyre Comedy Roadshow in the UK.
The Donegal-born native is now Ireland’s most successful comic: in his home country he’s sold more DVDs than anyone, and only U2 have sold more concert tickets than him (a comparison he describes as being between a ‘multinational corporation and a door-to-door salesman’). In 2009, he set the (since broken) first world record for the longest stand-up set in history, following a 36 hour Easter show which he claims was not for publicity, but to ‘talk out’ his anger.
In other words, Tiernan’s a pretty major draw, and it’s a pretty big deal that he’s playing at Dubai Tennis Stadium as part of The Irish Village’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Still, inevitably, the conversation turns to his controversial reputation. ‘Once you become tarnished, it always comes up,’ he says. ‘I have made mistakes – but you’re almost obligated to make mistakes when you’re being creative.’
We wonder if Tiernan’s been briefed about what makes appropriate material in the UAE. ‘I have a Tourette’s thing where whatever I’m told not to say, I end up saying. If I do wander off set, I expect protection,’ he laughs, ‘I expect to be smuggled out of the city by like-minded individuals.’ We hope it doesn’t come to that.
Tommy Tiernan plays at Dubai Tennis Stadium on Thursday March 21, doors 7pm, show 9pm. Tickets, priced at Dhs175, from www.timeouttickets.com
New Abu Dhabi Comedy Club!
Another regular comedy night, Get Up Stand Up, is starting at Heroes in the Crowne Plaza Hotel from March 20. Get along and see the amusing talents of of Canadian Ramy Salame, witty singer songwriter Robert Hillier and Emirati comedienne Sheida Ibrahim among many others. Start time is 8pm and tickets are Dhs90 on the door (02 616 6132).
