Some people know them as two ofThe Chaserboys, while others refer to them as “Those dickheads on ABC.” Regardless of how you label them, Andrew Hansen and Chris Taylor are taking their comedic genius to the stage withOne Man Show.
The show has been so popular that an additional Sydney show has been added to the bill. Hansen comments, “It’s been wonderful fun so far. I think people have been enjoying the silliness of the show. Chris and I haven’t done one quite like this before, so people are probably not sure what to expect, and then they get an hour’s worth of silly, old school British Review style sketches and songs delivered to them. Fortunately, they’ve seemed quite pleased!”
Taylor has also been thrilled with the audience response so far. ”We’re hugely relieved that people are actually laughing. I know that sounds simplistic, but we’ve being doing TV for so long; where everything is incrediblyfake. You coach the audience to laugh and hold up applause signs. So we’ve come to take for granted that TV audiences will laugh, not because they’re enjoying the show, but because we’ve told them they have to. So to do a liveshowwhere none of that coaching goes on is terribly nerve wracking and scary. The first response we have every night, when we hear that first laugh, makes us relax and go ‘Okay, maybe the show is funny.’”
Part of the reason that the two paired up was their shared sense of humour and not just because, as Taylor says “We were free and unemployed in a way the other guys weren’t.” Hansen comments that “[Chris] and I both have a real love of absurd and silly comedy and I thinkOne Man Showis a chance for us to exercise that urge a little bit more than if we were with the other guys. They’re into more high fibre entertainment which is packed with information that’s good for you.” Taylor adds, “Of allThe Chaserteam, Andrew and I are very much the comedy nerds who grew up on a rich diet of Blackadder, Monty Python and The Goodies. All of that very British comedy.”
Audiences can definitely look forward to old school British comedy influences, which largely helped to inspire the show. Taylor explains “We said to ourselves, ‘We’re not stand-ups. We don’t want to do an overly political and topical show. Remember the old live shows of Rowan Atkinson? Let’s do a sketch show like that.’” In addition to this, there will be plenty of the musical talent that we’ve come to expect from the duo, particularly after their collaboration onDead Caesar. “I’ve always loved writing songs but have no musical ability to compose. So it’s lovely teaming up with someone like Andrew who does have that ability…and use him to achieve my ambitions,” says Taylor. One of the most impressive of these songs is the opening number, which is customized for each city that they visit.
The show is certain to be a mixed bag of comedy gold, and audiences will undoubtedly enjoy the energy between Hansen and Taylor, who have no qualms trash talking each other. Hansen says, “I would love to take the opportunity to slander Chris, but I’m a bit worried that he might take legal action against me. I best remain quiet about his nefarious lifestyle.” Taylor rebutted with, “Well all I’ll say about Andrew is that there’s a reason that GwynethPaltrowis now single.”
One Man Show will be running on Thursday May 1 and Friday May 2 at the Metro Theatre as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival, tickets available through Ticketek.
