ONE of the great stand-up comedians, Ed Byrne, is performing at the Alhambra Theatre and we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away.
The Irish funnyman was due to bring his Tragedy Plus Time tour show to Dunfermline last November but it had to be rescheduled.
Ed will now be in the city on Saturday September 21 and you can win tickets to see him in our competition.
His latest show takes him into difficult territory for a comedy show - the death of his brother, Paul.
Ed admitted: “It’s something of a departure and I’m slightly worried about that.
“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.”
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That much is indisputable. For Tragedy Plus Time, Ed 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.
“I was in two minds about whether to do a show of this nature,” he explained.
“Then I decided this was the subject I was going to tackle but I wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.
“Once I started down that road, that was it. Then my main worry was, how funny is it going to be and is it going to work?”
The first time he performed the new material, it lasted over an hour which he deemed too long.
“I had to decide whether to cut funny jokes or material that’s meaningful, “ Ed said.
“That kind of decision was new to me and what’s really annoying is that the one person I would have asked for advice on that is the guy the show’s about.
“It’s like when you get dumped by someone and you’re heartbroken. The one person you’d usually want to talk to about it is the very person who dumped you.”
The concept that comedy is ‘tragedy plus time’ is credited to Mark Twain, although Ed said there’s no proof the American humourist actually said it.
Ed said: “Is it OK to talk about this stuff? I’d say this.
“Every night hundreds of people who didn’t know who Paul Byrne was will leave the theatre knowing who Paul Byrne was.
“I’m happy with that and I think I give a good account of him on stage.
“I wouldn’t say he’s up there with me every night, but he’s there every time I think about the show, and I’ve got to make sure I do right by him.
“I said to the audience in one of the early previews, ‘Yes, it is sad. But don’t worry because the show is funny. Because believe it or not, I’m actually quite good at this.’”
Ed Byrne's show, 'Tragedy Plus Time', is at the Alhambra on September 21.
For more information and tickets go to https://alhambradunfermline.com/event/ed-byrne-tragedy-plus-time/
Competition
To have a chance of winning a pair of tickets for the show, just answer this question: Who is credited with coining the phrase that comedy is tragedy plus time?
Email your answer, along with name and address, to editorial@dunfermlinepress.co.uk with Ed Byrne Competition in the subject box.
Entries must be received by September 12.
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