Taking an interesting and unique approach to comedy, the North’s very own Luke Connell has developed a reputation as being a shining light when it comes to creating new ways to make people laugh. Developed through a combination of alternative comedy and interesting storytelling, Connell’s recent work has seen him combine history with slapstick in the creation of a new brand of academic-comedy, as much to his own surprise as perhaps anyone else’s.
“My background is in medieval french literature” confirms Connell “which isn’t always the greatest source material for comedy. But there’s something in storytelling that’s quiet adjacent to comedy in the concept that you’re building narratives, and developing plots, whilst trying to engage an audience. Once you’ve captured an audience it’s then trying to maintain their interest. So if you add humour into that then you start to see how comedy can be created out of various sources”.
Whilst it was a background in the academics that built up Connell’s knowledge base, it was evenings on the stand up circuit that helped Luke develop his comedy chops and find places where humour could creep into his middle ages tales. “A lot of my confidence with comedy was built up at the Stand Comedy Club where I was part of the monthly show ‘Nerds just wanna have fun’. I think that show helped me to consider the art of comedy as well as to start to understand which material worked and what could make people laugh. At first I was nervous with comedy but with practice I feel more confident”.
And with confidence comes writing and production presumably, with Connell working on various comedy projects including the upcoming Newcastle & Durham Fringe show, “Luke Connell Bloody Marvellous: A Comedy Show about the Middle Ages”. Playing both the Newcastle and Durham Fringes, as well as dates up and down the country and a spell at the Edinburgh Fringe, ‘Bloody Marvelous’ is an attempt to provide a comic tour of the medieval world using props, songs and games. “The show’s focus is on a number of things from the Middle Ages including creatures like sea-centipedes and manticores and characters like Eilmer the flying monk. These images come from what people believed in the Middle ages, yet it’s interesting to consider how then, like now, not everyone believed the news or the stories even when they were presented as facts.”
Working on the show has seen different audiences find humour in different places, something which Connell looks forward to exploring as the show tours further; “some of the images in the show are surreal, they’re funny in themselves which can make people laugh, yet other times people find humour in how we’re still very similar after all of these years. For me it’s nice to think that comedy can offer a way for people to learn and laugh at the same time. I think they’re two of the most important states we can be in.”
“Luke Connell Bloody Marvelous: A comedy show about the middle ages” will be performed at the Newcastle and Durham Fringes