Getting into Character

In these formative days of my development as a comedy legend, I am still trying to find my own style.

I started out doing character comedy as Wigan club-singer has-been, Tony Cannelloni. This was an easy way in as I could hide behind the costume, put on a strong accent and simply be someone else.

These days I don't wear a funny wig and fake chest hair, but I have still carried over a lot of the Tony C persona into my act. My on-stage personality is that of an incredulous middle-aged man who rants on about other people's foolishness. (Okay, so it's not much of a stretch, dramatically.)

The problem is, I wonder if audiences warm to me. They seemed to love Tony Cannelloni - even when he wasn't funny. But, these days, I get the sense that, although a large part of my audiences laugh, there are other portions of the audience who are tense - even hostile.

I must admit that a lot of my material to date has been fairly crude. And the ranting middle-aged man persona might come across as aggressive - even misogynistic.

So today I am standing in front of a full length mirror, microphone in hand, trying to do my act with a smile on my face, to inject a certain friendliness and softness into the act.

But bizarrely, as soon as I start to soften the style, I go all camp! What is going on? I'm turning into cross between Julian Clary and Peter Kay. Suddenly a whole new side of me emerges that I'm not entirely comfortable with.

Questions arise: Is this some hidden side of me trying to fight it's way out? Is the whole basis of my identity in question?

But most importantly of all - is it funny? Sadly not. Hmmm. Back to the drawing board.