The Mock the Week comedian on turning tragedy into comedy in his new show, Tragedy Plus Time
Ed Byrne says; ‘I’ve never done a show that’s had serious bits in it. I’ve never done a show where people have said afterwards that they cried and then they laughed’ had always felt most comfortable doing stand-up. He’s hosted his own show on Irish TV, been a regular on, and made an adventure show with Dara Ó Briain, but alone on stage was where he felt safest. But when he had to perform his new show,“The first couple of nights, I was heading into the theatre like a condemned man.
This is the first time Byrne has fully embraced such difficult and emotional subject matter in his comedy, which has spanned everyday gripes and drawn inspiration from his personal life, from marriage to children.“It isn’t what people necessarily expect when they come and see me, but needs must,” he shrugs. “I’ve never done a show that’s had serious bits in it. I’ve never done a show where people have said afterwards that they cried and then they laughed.
Byrne deftly examines the complex circumstances around his brother’s death. The “user error” that caused his initial liver failure 15 years ago, leading him to quit drinking. The Hodgkin’s lymphoma that reared its head a decade ago, necessitating chemotherapy that further assaulted his liver. Then the pandemic, which prompted a series of events that sealed Paul’s fate in a way that caused anger and despair for his loved-ones.
In the past, Byrne might’ve shied away from controversial jokes that could alienate segments of the audience. “I would’ve been a bit more diplomatic, trying to please all factions and make all people laugh. Whereas I just don’t give a f**k any more. If you don’t like being called an idiot for suggesting that Covid doesn’t exist, then you can f**k off.”
Byrne is clear that, despite the tragedy at the heart of it, this is a comedy show. “I’ve been careful not to make it one of these shows where towards the end I stop doing jokes and just talk about how miserable I am,” he says.He spoke to comedians his brother had worked with, sussing out Paul’s directing style. “His thing was: you can be as serious, as heartfelt, as emotional as you like, but there has to be a joke. I adhered to that.
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