BWW EXCLUSIVE: Russell Howard Talks NYC Stand-Up Gig, Comedy Central Series & More

Today we are talking to one of the top stand-up comedians in the UK who will be bringing his unique brand of comedy to NYC for a special show later this week downtown at the Gramercy Theatre, the animated and hilarious Russell Howard. Outlining what audiences can expect from his new gig as well as touching upon some of his previous experiences playing to American audiences, the white-hot Brit stand-up shares stories from the road and also from his home country where he currently wows crowds weekly with a hit stand-up Comedy Central series RUSSELL HOWARD'S STAND-UP CENTRAL. Additionally, Howard reveals some of his biggest comedy influences, reflects on the worldwide impact of legendary comedienne Joan Rivers, shares some of his favorite observations on the culture differences between the US and UK and much more in this exclusive chat.

More information on Russell Howard at the Gramercy Theatre on June 29 is available at the official site here.

Discussing the format for the June 29 evening, Howard relates, "I've got a show that I can do ready to go, but I kind of like mucking around a bit. You see, I'm not used to doing venues that are as intimate as this one, so it's really nice to have a bit of a chat with the audience - a bit of a natter - so the show will be a bit more organic, I think. I definitely will be involving the audience a lot more than I would if I was doing, you know, the 02 or something like that over here - so, it will be a bit more knockabout. There might a few bits from WONDERBOX in it, but I've got mostly new stuff that I am working on, really. When I did a show over there last year, I ended up doing quite a lot of stuff that happened throughout traveling across America to do the actual gigs, so, hopefully, I will be working some stuff on the road, as well - I don't really have a set for the show that I am going to do, but I have lots of stuff to pick from. That's one of the things that I love about stand-up is that it is done in unison with the crowd and the particular audience that you have that night - one of the most wonderful things about stand-up is that it has to be created with the group of people you are playing to; you can't do stand-up in a vacuum. There is a tangibility in laugher - you need to people there to provide it."

Reflecting on his past gigs in the US, Howard remembers, "Last year, I did a little tour of various venues in Denver, Chicago, Washington and places like that. I had such a blast! It's interesting when you travel on the road and you sometimes have nothing to do so your eyes are a bit more open and you kind of notice things that you wouldn't normally notice if you lived there. For instance, there was this park in Chicago that had signs all over that said, 'Trees are good for you' and they told you about all the benefits of oxygen. I mean, I found that just hilarious! The idea that people would need to be told that trees are good for them is just hilarious to me, you know?! I talked about this at the gig I did in Chicago - that all the trees have these signs on them talking about the benefits of Oxygen and how good it was for you - and the audience just loved it and they were all so used to it that only an outsider would really have noticed, so I think they appreciated that fact. So, I think it is really good to soak up your surroundings when you are traveling around doing comedy because you might point out something unusual that connects with your audience in a special way and it kind of all goes from there, really. Actually, I'd love to do a whole series about America and really spend some time there and get to know it better - I find it just fascinating. I am supposed to do a thing for Comedy Central about traveling around America next summer, so hopefully that will be good."

Comparing the UK and US cultures, Howard observes, "We have something called lollipop men over here, which are basically men who stand in the middle of the road with gigantic plastic lollipops and they stop cars and so on so that kids can cross the street to get to school and during the day. I didn't realize how insane that sounds until I tried to explain it at a gig in Washington last year and I realized in that moment that it was utterly insane - it's like, 'What the f*ck?! They stop cars with gigantic lollipops?' And that's why I love traveling doing comedy because you realize how bizarre the culture and customs that you are used to are and vice versa. I love it."

Looking back on his roots and biggest influences, Howard concludes, "I just started doing stand-up when I was 18 - it was something that I remember always wanting to do since I was about 13. My dad used to give me all these tapes of BIlly Connolly's, who is a huge star in this country - he is more known as an actor in America, but in England he is certainly our granddad of comedy; he is just incredible. So, there is sort of a whole generation that grew up going to bed listening to him on old cassettes and stuff like that. He was a massive influence on me. I started out just doing small gigs at university and it went from there, really - sort of just doing little gigs every night around the country; we don't have as prominent a stand-up circuit as you guys have over there, so I traveled all over for the first five years. If there was a gig, I did it, whether it paid or not - that sort of usual passagery. There's nothing like traveling three hours in a car to do five minutes in Plymouth for 18 people! It's kind of a bizarre dream come true to have 4000 people out there now. It's like, 'Where were you 10 years ago?!' The amazing Joan Rivers used to tell a joke similar to that - I am such a fan of hers. I remember I met her at a gig in Leicester Square - she was on before me - and I remember just being amazed by her. Now, there was a lady who really had her finger on the pulse of comedy! I was completely fascinated by her. I actually talked to her afterwards and she said, 'Yeah, I saw your show in Edinburgh and I liked it,' and she quoted bits that I did and everything. She was obsessed with comedy and was always looking for new stuff - it was really inspirational to meet her and talk to her and obviously her career was just incredible. The impression that I got from her was that when she would joke about getting up at 2 AM to go do a little gig somewhere, she was really just taking the p*ss - she didn't have to do the gig, but she would've been more miserable not doing the gig and sitting at home! There is something about comedians where we are just wired that way - we would travel the ends of the earth to find an amazing gig. I know Larry David is on Broadway right now doing a play in New York, too - he's another one who is just amazingly put together. He's just incredible."

Offering first news on a feature film he wrote set to premiere in the UK later this year, Howard shares, "It's sort of based on my family, which is really good fun. I wrote it - it's about this guy who falls back in love with his family at Christmas and it is all based on my family. My actual sister is playing my sister in it, too - she's an actress, though, so it's not entirely nepotism that she got the job! It's so interesting seeing actors up close and seeing them work, though - it's astonishing how brilliant they are! I mean, my sister was absolutely incredible in it. So, it's premiering at Christmas. I am really excited about it and I think it is going to be good."