UK comedian Ollie Horn knows what he's doing – and that's why he crafted his show 'Before/After' to be appropriate for touring.
Ollie presented the show to sold-out Edinburgh Fringe audiences in 2021 before taking it on the road for a 14-city international tour. 'Before/After' is all about what happens when you try new things – it's feel-good, motivating, and will leave you feeling glad you don't get into nearly as many scrapes as Ollie does.
We learn about 'Before/After' and Ollie's beginnings in stand-up.
This show has been quite the success already, outside of Adelaide! What has it been like to be so well-received by audiences internationally?
What an easy first question. Flattery and an easy opportunity to say how brilliant I am without seeming arrogant. So, my show is INTERNATIONALLY ADORED because I wrote it thinking about ultimately touring it, and the routines involve not just stories from the UK full of UK references but also stories of my time stuck in Malaysia during the pandemic. The show is by its nature international.
The show’s description promises that audience members will leave feeling happier and motivated. Was this your intention from the beginning when you were writing the show?
Not really! But I noticed that especially after the pandemic, audiences were looking for a bit of escapism. I really like comedy that makes you think and makes a point, but sometimes you just want to laugh for an hour, and as I was performing at the 2021 Edinburgh Fringe, right after our lockdown ended in the UK, I started taking out the bits which didn't either make audiences feel happier about themselves, or laugh at the daft situations I've gotten myself into.
There are themes about trying new things. Why do you think it’s important to do this throughout your life?
The worst thing that can happen when you try something new and don't like it is you're even more glad of the other things that you do. Best case scenario is you're good at Zumba. In my case I wasn't good at Zumba, but I'll explain why in the show.
Once upon a time, you tried a new thing called stand-up. What drew you to it initially?
I went through a break-up and this was my toxic response.
And has there been a main thing in particular which has kept you interested in the craft and wanting to continue?
To be a bit sincere (yuck) the better you get at stand-up the more interesting things you can talk about. It feels like unlocking levels on a video game when all of a sudden I'm able to make people laugh by talking about something that five years ago I'd have struggled to get laughs with.
What are you most looking forward to about being a part of Adelaide Fringe in 2023?
I had one of the best pies of my life in Adelaide in 2019 so it'd be nice to relive that experience.
Summarise your show in three words.
Still tickets left.
Ollie Horn plays Laugh Lounge (Adelaide Fringe) 1-5 March.
