To mark the Sydney season of the National Theatre's hit comedy
One Man, Two Guvnorsin Sydney Theatre, the cast share
with us their comedy idols...
Owain Arthur: Just like my character in One Man, Two
Guvnors, I'm a bit greedy and I can't make do with one comedy
idol. It's got to be two and they are Jerry Lewis and Norman Wisdom
(pictured). Why? Well it's obvious isn't it… because they're
FUNNY!
Ed Bennett: I've also opted for two comedy idols! Bill Hicks
(pictured) and Norman Wisdom. Bill because his humour was dark
and he didn't give a damn, and Norman because I grew up watching
him and he was a wonderful mix of old school Buster Keaton-style
physical humour and modern Ealing comedy. A truly hilarious
combination.
Amy Booth-Steel: My comedy idol is Julie Walters. She's an absolute
LEGEND!!!! Her characters are larger than life but always rooted in
absolute truth. I've loved her since the second I saw her rocking a
silver catsuit in Stepping Outcirca 1992.
Nick Cavaliere: My comedy idol is Oliver Hardy (pictured right). I
used to watch Laurel and Hardy as a kid. I like Stan Laurel too.
And if I'm being greedy, I'd like to add Ronnie Barker in the
comedy TV series Porridge. Awesome.
Sabrina Carter: My comedy hero is Billy Connolly. Maybe it's a
Scottish thing (being a weegie like Billy) but his observations on
life are funny, realistic and on the money. All generations love
him for his anecdotes. My particular favourite being The
Crucifixionwhich if you haven't heard, take a listen.
Alicia Davies: I'd have to say Jennifer Aniston. Her comic timing
is, in my opinion, second to none. She's bold, brave and totally
willing to be vocally and physically ridiculous for the sake of
comedy. A modern day female clown who was clearly born gifted with
naturally funny bones.
Mark Jackson: John Cleese is my comedy idol because he taught me
that comedy is essentially cruel but that's just how we like it.
Oh, and also because he's got it in for waiters!
Richie Hart: My idol has to be Calvin (pictured left) from
Calvin & Hobbes, the comic strip. I know it's a comic, but I
grew up reading Calvin & Hobbes from an early age and Calvin is
basically me.
Joshua Lacey: I think my comedy idol would be Peter Sellers. Simply
watch Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and
Love the Bomb: three different characters in one film, each of
which are given completely different nuances. Like all his
characters, it's the subtlety combined with the physical choices
that make him a genius.
Colin Mace: Aged 10, sitting on the floor of my school assembly, a
man arrived, who within minutes, had us falling about. 'Who's
that?' I asked my neighbour. 'That's Eric Morecombe, stupid,' he
replied. 'The funniest man on the planet.' How right he was. The
10-year-old me fell in love with Eric that day, with performing in
general and with the whole idea of making people laugh. Cheers
Eric.
Mark Monero: I have two comedy idols: John Cleese for his wonderful
and extreme physicality and Les Dawson (pictured) for his
marvellous sardonic wit.
Philip Murray Warson: Eddie Izzard is my comedy idol. He's smart,
fearless and comfortable in his own skin, and his comedy style of
stream of consciousness with a hint of Pythonesque humour makes him
pretty unique. And he looks good in a dress.
Alan Pearson: Jack Lemmon (pictured second from left). His
performance in the film Some Like It Hotis hilarious. One
of my favourite lines is: 'We're up the creek and you wanna hock
the paddle.'
Oliver Seymour Marsh: My comedy idol is Christopher Guest. His role
play, subject choices and improvised characters lead to a lot of
very naturalistic and keenly observed filmmaking. One of my
favourite films would have to be This is Spinal Tap, which
stars Guest and is a spoof mocumentary about a British 1970s rock
group struggling to find their place in the 1980s.
Kellie Shirley: Kathy Burke is someone I find inspiring as a
comedian. She's a fantastic actress, writer and director, and
always has me in stitches. Harry Enfield and Chumswas on
the box when I was growing up and really made an impact on me. I'd
love to work with her as not only is she hugely talented, I bet
she'd be fun to have a cheeky pint with. She was recently on
Desert Island Discsand I fell in love with her even
more.
Sheun Shote: I don't have a comedy idol, but I do have a comedy
idol duo which is Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder with their
performance in the movie Stir Crazy... it's a
classic.
Billy Stookes: My comedy idol has to be Steve Coogan, for creating
the utterly brilliant Alan Partridge. He is one of the most
cringeworthy characters ever created, who is realistic and
worryingly relatable to people in day to day life. There's nothing
else like it.
Russell Wilcox: My comedy idol was Tommy Cooper, because he made
absolute precision look completely chaotic...!
Leon Williams: David Jason (pictured centre) as Del Boy in the
TV series Only Fools and Horses. I watched it from the age
of 11 and would buy the video tapes every two weeks with my pocket
money. I would watch the whole VHS tape on that Saturday night and
I can still quote much of it word perfect. I found his character so
upbeat and charming and a proper jack the lad but on the converse
he would also find moments of real heart and vulnerability. That
show made me want to be an actor.
Matthew Woodyatt: My comedy hero, if I was forced to choose just
one, would be Nathan Lane. I love his mix of pace, precision and
pathos. He swoops from zany to heartbreaking via pithy and
outrageous in the blink of an eye. A true clown. I'd love to
smuggle in Ronnie Barker and Terry Scott too, if I'm able.
Brilliant character comedians with genuinely funny bones. Love
'em.
Rosie Wyatt: My favourite comedy character ever is David Brent
(created and performed by Ricky Gervais, pictured). Every couple of
months I watch the whole of The Officefrom start to
finish in one go; it never fails to make me laugh no matter how
many times I've watched it. The stand-ups that I admire are Daniel
Kitson, Josie Long, Sam Fletcher and I've just started watching
Louis C.K's work. And if I could ever get anywhere close to being
as funny an actress as Julie Walters then I'd be pretty
happy.
One Man,
Two Guvnors, Sydney Theatre, 30 March - 11 May, 2013.
This is an extract from the program for One Man, Two
Guvnors, available in the Sydney Theatre foyer for $10.
Feature: Comedy idols
Date posted: 20 Mar 2013Author: STC