Ray O’Leary recently pulled a man from a wrecked car and as the man lay dying, he used his last ounce of strength to ask Ray to tell his children that he loved them. Ray promised the man he would. But first, he has his most extensive ever UK and Ireland tour to complete.
- The premise of Laughter? I Hardly Know Her! is wonderfully absurd from the outset. How do you balance that deadpan, almost throwaway delivery with the very deliberate craft behind your jokes
There are no deliberately crafted jokes in this show. The show is inspired by the dramatic works of Shakespeare, Beckett, Chekhov and Miller. This is a serious dramatic work and intended as such. The fact that audiences continue to laugh at what I say is a source of continual frustration. I would never do “stand-up comedy”. It is the lowest art form, and the worst method of delivering humour, second only to someone trying to give funny yet self-aware answers in an interview
- You’re often described as a “young old soul” with a philosophy degree and a two piece grey suit. How much of your onstage persona is an exaggerated version of you, and how much is carefully constructed character
“Ray O’Leary” is a deliberately constructed character that I cannot shake off. My real name is Justin Trudeau and I thought this would be a fun costume for a dress-up party I was going to, but turns out this costume is more disturbing and horrifying than any I have ever worn
- After sold out runs in Melbourne and Edinburgh, and a near sell out at Soho Theatre, do you feel your comedy has shifted as your audience has grown, or are you stubbornly committed to staying exactly the same awkward man in a suit
My life has changed dramatically since all these shows. I am dictating these answers to my butler who is typing it out on a gold laptop as we fly on my private jet. We are on the way to the kerb to take the bins out
- British audiences first saw you on Taskmaster NZ and many also know you from Have You Been Paying Attention?. Has television exposure changed the expectations people bring to your live shows
Most audiences know me from seeing my face in reels on their phones in a 9:16 aspect ratio so that is what they are expecting. When they see my writhing body and jerky motions in three dimensional space, the reaction from the audience is the same as if they had seen a corpse reanimated. My recommendation for audiences who want to come to my show is to prepare themselves for my sight, sound, and smell by spending more time in morgues
- Your comedy is often praised for its precision and callbacks. When you are writing, are you methodical and structured, or does your process look more like the “shambling ascent” your tour blurb promises
There are no deliberately crafted callbacks in this show. The show is inspired by the dramatic works of Shakespeare, Beckett, Chekhov and Miller. This is a serious dramatic work and intended as such. The fact that audiences continue to laugh at what I say is a source of continual frustration. I would never do “stand-up comedy”. It is the lowest art form, and the worst method of delivering humour, second only to someone trying to give funny yet self-aware answers in an interview.
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