It’s been a busy few years for seriously funny straight-man, Tim Minchin. Since winning the prestigious Perrier Award for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2005 he has released comedy albums, DVDs, appeared on British and Australian TV, recorded two radio specials for BBC Radio in the UK, picked up a swag of awards and written a musical play… among other things.
His latest comedic offering, Ready for This?, received critical acclaim and enjoyed sell-out seasons in Australia and the UK earlier this year. But not to worry if you missed it, Minchin will be presenting a special extended version of the show exclusively for his hometown audience.
Originally from Perth, Minchin now lives in London to facilitate his extensive tour schedule.
‘I’ve just done 45 shows in 45 different venues in two months,’ Minchin told OUTinPerth recently.
‘You just can’t do that kind of dense touring in Australia because of the space and lack of people/venues. Having said that, in the three years we’ve been based here, I’ve spent over a year of it in Australia, because I want to be there as much as I can.’
The ‘we’ Minchin refers to is his wife Sarah and their two small children – Goddess knows where he found the time for that! The two have been together since the age of 17 and while many comedians base routines on the people closest to them, Minchin says he tries to avoid it.
‘I do have little bits about my family… but I am very conscious that my stuff has always been less about domestic life and more about sex and death and god… and I like that, so I’ve tried to stay on that path despite the birth of my hilarious spawn.’
Minchin and his wife still maintain close ties to Australia and try to spend as much time as possible with their respective families in Perth.
‘Doing shows there has always had a sense of significance and homecoming,’ he said.
‘Up until recently it was always the biggest show on a tour too, because I was able to sell more tickets there. This time around, it is one of the (relatively) smaller venues, so it’s going to feel kinda intimate!
‘It’s also perhaps a bit different this time because most of my family and friends saw this show last time around, so hopefully that overwhelming feeling that I’m doing a concert at a family Christmas party won’t be so pervasive.’
Despite the wide-eyed, charmingly naïve stage character, Minchin is also an adept actor and writer who has appeared in numerous productions including Hamlet and Amadeus with Perth Theatre Company and he most recently made a guest appearance in An Oak Tree.
And just in case you think Minchin does not have nearly enough on his plate, he is currently working on a musical version of Roald Dahl’s children’s book Matilda for the Royal Shakespeare Company, set to hit the stage in late 2010.
‘Matilda is pretty all encompassing at the moment,’ he said.
‘When I’m not touring live, I’m obsessing over that. I’ve just written a couple of new songs for it in the 2 weeks I’ve had off in between my UK tour and the Oz trip.
‘I’m also writing a radio comedy about an Australia dude trying to make it as a rock star in London. That’s recording at the BBC in March.’
While he seems to thrive on such a diverse and busy schedule, Minchin’s first love will always be his unique brand of musical comedy.
‘If I had to choose only one thing, it’d be doing my own shows… by a long shot!
‘But I really think what matters most – both for personal gratification and artistic improvement – is that you keep your work varied.’
Ready for This? Returns is at the Perth Concert Hall on December 15 and 16. Bookings at Bocs www.bocsticketing.com.au
And if you still can’t get enough Minchin after that, the DVD of Ready For This? is in stores now.
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