New Zealand comedian reckons his show is 'Mr Bean, but sexy'
Comedy with no words is how George Fenn describes his awkward new show.
Interactive comedian George Fenn doesn't mean to make his audience uncomfortable, but they probably will be.
"Like I am accepting the fact that people will feel uncomfortable," says the performer, who describes his show Sexy Ghost Boy as Mr Bean - but sexy.
The character Sexy Ghost Boy came from Fenn's own experience of "looking hot" and getting attention, he told RNZ’s Culture 101.
George Fenn in Sexy Ghost Boy described as 'Mr Bean, but sexy.'
James Peryer
“I did feel like there was a sense of being prey or being coveted in a certain way and I didn't like that feeling. That made me feel kind of yuck.”
So, the New Zealand comedian created a show that was like a “prank,” he says.
“That plays into that idea of myself as, it feels very vain to say, but as a desirable object.”
While Sexy Ghost Boy is a show without words, it's not mime.
“Technically it's called clowning, but I don't like saying that because people think I'm going to be a serial killer or something.
“It's tough out there, the clown PR has had a horrible time, since The Joker movies came out.”
Mr Bean, but Sexy": Comedian George Fenn
The quiet creates space for both the performer and audience, he explains.
“People actually put their own experience onto what you're doing. And, I do think my work for me has a deep secret and meaning, but what I found is…people will interpret it through their own experiences.”
The subject matter of the show creates awkwardness, he says.
“I think honestly sex is weird and uncomfortable and it doesn't get good until you get comfortable being uncomfortable with it.
“So, it's not trying to like shake people out of their comfort. You know, I'm not trying to like forcefully jar people… the tension is inevitable and the show is about learning to live inside that tension and not freak out about it.”
The show has copped rave reviews, winning several awards at the NZ Fringe Festivals, including the Organised Chaos Award, the Bizarre and Charming Award and a nomination for Outstanding Performer.
Sexy Ghost Boy is on at Auckland's new Cardboard Comedy Club, before touring across the country and then overseas.
