For Tragedy Plus Time, Ed Byrne bravely ventures into the world of grief and loss, a decision prompted by the passing of his younger brother Paul, aged just 44, in February 2022. Comedy that takes death as its cue is not unprecedented, but it’s a path that takes considerable creative courage to explore.
Speaking ahead of his highly anticipated appearance at Dartford's Orchard West on May 18, we spoke to the talented stand-up comedian as he heads into emotional new territory.
‘It’s something of a departure, and I’m slightly worried about that,’ he concedes. ‘I’ve never really had the desire to write a show that had an overly serious element to it. I got a lot of five-star reviews on the last show (2019’s If I’m Honest), but some four-star ones that opined, ‘well it’s funny, but that’s all it is…’ As if that’s not enough these days. Frankly, just being funny is a furrow I’ve been happy to occupy. But this new show features some heart-wrenching, soul-bearing stuff.
‘The show does elicit a very pure emotional response in the audience. There’s something about the fact that when somebody dies, everyone else carries on like nothing’s happened. Because nothing has happened to them. So there’s an anger in grief, too… how can everyone else carry on as though nothing has happened?’
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