Irish comedian Ed Byrne has returned to New Zealand for his Tragedy Plus Time tour.
Irish comedian Ed Byrne has returned to New Zealand for his Tragedy Plus Time tour.
Following a slew of five-star reviews and critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe, Ed Byrne is returning to New Zealand with his new solo show, Tragedy Plus Time, named from a quote defining humour attributed to Mark Twain.
One of the UK’s favourite TV household names tests that theory by mining the most tragic event in his life for laughs.
The good news is we have two double passes to give away to the Hamilton show on Saturday, August 10 — see below for details.
With his TV career now in its third decade, Byrne has regularly appeared on the likes of QI, Mock the Week, Alan Davies as Yet Untitled,The Pilgrimage, Dara and Ed’s Road to Mandalay, Dara & Ed’s Big Adventure, The Graham Norton Show and Have I Got News For You, as well as hosting Live At The Apollo and Comic Relief Bake Off.
Byrne was recently a contestant on BBC One’s Celebrity Best Home Cook and has also won celebrity versions of The Chase and Pointless.
Ed Byrne is one of the UK’s favourite TV household names.
Known for his passion for the outdoors (hill walking and mountaineering are major hobbies), Byrne can be seen turning his presenting skills to factual broadcasting in BBC Two’s Volcano Live,World’s Most Dangerous Roads (where he spent two weeks driving through Siberia) and Into the Wild with Gordon Buchanan.
Byrne told Bay of Plenty Times reporter Megan Wilson every time he visits Tauranga, he climbs Mauao.
“One year when I was really fit, I jogged up it,” he said.
“I won’t be jogging up it this year. It’s a good measure of how I’m doing physically, whether I walk up it or jog up it.”
Byrne said his show was “slightly more serious” than any he had done before.
“It tackles the concept of humour equalling tragedy plus time and the idea of dark humour getting you through the dark of time.”
Byrne said he talked mainly about his younger brother Paul, a comedy writer and director who died a couple of years ago.
“And believe it or not, [the] quite-funny stuff that that kicked up. And the stuff surrounding that and the somewhat volatile relationship I had with him as brothers.
“I just sort of cover all of that in the show. And it sounds like a downer, but it’s actually a very positive and dare I say, a very funny show.”
Irish comedian and documentary presenter Ed Byrne is touring New Zealand.
During his time in New Zealand, he also planned to go tramping.
“I don’t think sitting in a bar and getting drunk is wasting time necessarily. You’re still enjoying what a country has to give, but I don’t want to just do that for the three days I have off in the middle of this.
“I’m going to try to get out there and hike ... get myself into some nature.”
✭✭✭✭✭ Hilarious, extremely dark, profoundly touching and resolutely unsentimental. Ed Byrne has plumbed the very depths of his soul and found something verging on greatness. ROLLING STONE UK
✭✭✭✭✭ Funnier and more compelling than anything he has created before. EVENING STANDARD
✭✭✭✭✭Touching and inspiring, yes, but funny above all else. CHORTLE
Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time Tour opened in Auckland last week and heads to the south Island after playing Whanganui’s War Memorial Centre tonight.
The tour returns to Auckland’s SkyCity Theatre next Thursday and Friday and comes to Hamilton’s GloBox at Claudelands on Saturday, August 10, before heading to Rotorua’s Sir Owen Glenn Theatre on Wednesday, August 14, then Tauranga’s Bay Court Theatre on Thursday, August 15. The tour then heads to Auckland’s North Shore and concludes in Wellington on Saturday, August 17.
WIN: A double pass to Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time. To be in the draw email your name, address and daytime phone number to win@teawamutucourier.co.nz with Ed Byrne in the subject by noon on Tuesday, August 6.
