Not just a pretty face: Irish musical comedians will be performing at the Globe at the end of this month.
The Rubberbandits will be appearing at the Globe on 30 and 31 March.
The Rubberbandits will be appearing at the Globe on 30 and 31 March.
Calling the Rubberbandits a pair of plastic bag-wearing lunatics from Limerick barely does them justice. Going by the stage monikers of Blindboy Boatclub and Mr Chrome, the musical comedians are perhaps most famous for their Youtube smash hit Horse Outside (11 million views and counting, stats fans) but, as their Soho Theatre shows earlier this year proved, they’re far more than one-hit wonders.
Upping the ante somewhat after their West End outing, their next London shows are in a very different venue. On 30 and 31 March, they will perform two gigs in the intimate, candle-lit surroundings of the newly opened Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe. We have no idea whether the Bard will be rolling or rocking in his grave but, either way, these shows promise to be something a little bit special.
We spoke to the Messrs Boatclub and Chrome about what kind of craic we could expect.
Why the Globe? Are you big fans of Shakespeare or you just fancied a venue with a river view for a change?
We’ve been huge fans of Shakespeare for a while now. Ever since he wrote a play about a merchant from a place called Ennis which is very near where we grew up in Ireland.
We’re guessing that this could be rather an intimate gig. Will you be tailoring your show to the space?
No way, we fully intend to do the first ever sweaty rave within a Shakespearean theatre. I doubt Willie Shakes would want us to tone down if he were still alive.
This week saw yet another feast of Irishness in the form of St Patrick’s Day. How do you guys celebrate it?
Rather than partake in the cliche of drinking alcohol, we subvert that idea by allowing alcohol to drink us. We soak in a bath of fermenting barley for 9 hours until enzymatic processes digest our skin. The resulting beer is thus drunk on us while we attain an elevated state of sobriety called the steeplejack’s Nirvana.
Right. What’s your take on the Panti Bliss affair? Is homophobia institutionalised in Ireland?
Panty Bliss? Is that an elated state of sexual arousal dependent on ones proximity to a womans knickers? Of course homophobia is institutionalised. We have Catholicism written into our law. Catholicism is essentially just magic performed by old men who don’t want you to enjoy yourself.
And does the Panti Bliss affair make you more or less likely to say what you think on television in general and RTE in particular?
It all comes down to litigation. If you say something that brings litigation on a network then somebody will lose a job. It’s about saying what you want to say in such a way that it doesn’t attract litigation. Then you can say what you like.
Who should we be looking out for on the Irish comedy scene?
There’s a props comedian from Cork called Flaps Charlton who uses 3D printing to perform Lenny Henry sketches with scale models of himself.
We’ll certainly keep our third eye out for Flaps. Meanwhile, you can catch the Rubberbandits either on 30 or 31 March at the Globe Theatre or on 10 May at the Udderbelly.
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