Politixia
Self-described “chaotic, viral comedian” Stuart Laws is characterised in standup circles not only for his consistently excellent solo hours and unwaveringly prolific work rate, but for directing countless comedy specials for some of the UK’s most foremost comedians – including James Acaster, Nish Kumar, Rosie Jones, Sindhu Vee, Paul Foot and Ivo Graham (for his indie production company, Turtle Canyon).
He is also responsible for making a host of cult, alt-comedy shows, concerning, for example, comedians flipping beer mats, Michael Caine saying the same word for an hour, or a murder mystery about puffins.
In recent years, he has provided tour support for comics including Ed Gamble, Lou Sanders and Chloe Radcliffe. His last two specials were released on the platform 800 Pound Gorilla, and the latest is out now, on Laws’ YouTube channel.
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Three-Way cuts together three separate performances of the same show, in three different locations: Machynlleth Comedy Festival, XS Malarkey in Manchester, and Bristol’s own Alma Tavern & Theatre.
Condensed into a half-hour, it distils Laws’ “unpredictable live style” while showcasing the filmmaking prowess he has perfected in directing specials for some of the best comedians in the world.
Joining Bristol24/7, he explained how the project evolved.
What sparked that initial idea of cutting together three different records, in three different locations? How did you decide on those three specific gigs?
“I chose Machynlleth Comedy Festival because I knew I could get a big crowd and a bunch of people who were very eager to see it, XS Malarkey in Manchester because it’s one of the best rooms in the UK and the team who run it have been so supportive, then the Alma Tavern Theatre because it was the best show of my previous tour and I knew it would be a different type of room to the other two places – more intimate and with a front row literally 50cm away from me.
“I wanted to do it because I think my live energy when I’m at my best is chaotic and freewheeling, where the jokes can give way to unique moments that elevate the whole thing.
“Filming it three times gave me a chance to treat each taping as less important so I could be looser, let the crowd point me in the direction that that room wanted. To be able to then go in and edit the three tapings together into a coherent special was then a big, big challenge but one that I think enhances the final show.”
What do you remember about particular facets of the show – or audience reactions to it – at The Alma Theatre?
“SO. Firstly. The night before I was there I did something that perhaps made me be slightly worse at standup comedy. I went to Bilbao to watch Tottenham Hotspur play in – and win – the Europa League against Manchester United. It was the last good thing the football club would ever experience for the rest of time. I flew back the next day, the same day as the show in Bristol. Landed in London, rushed home, drove to Bristol, briefed the camera team, hung the drape and went to the green room to have a little calm down.
“The Alma show was the last one I recorded so I knew I had two tapings that were great and I had certain lines and routines that I wanted to try differently. Maybe it was mentioning the football early on but I gave myself a tougher start to the show than the other two and I had to dig in for 15-20 minutes to get the rhythm back. In the end, I actually got some of my favourite stuff of the special at the Bristol taping and the audience were great, but I definitely made things more difficult than I needed to.”
Can you give us an insight into the editorial considerations you were making when cutting the final version together?
“I knew I wanted to show a joke landing really well and then jump back in time and show the same punchline not doing as well, or landing differently in another venue. I find live comedy fascinating, and having directed and filmed so many comedy specials I’m also fascinated by how you re-inject the danger element that makes live comedy so compelling and funny in the room, but can sometimes be lost once you’re watching through a screen. So I wanted to be as tight as possible with the edit whilst still giving a feel of being there; feeling like it’s unplanned and could go in any direction.
“Cutting the hour show from 60-70 minutes down to 30 was tough because certain jokes or through lines have callbacks or references. It took me a year of going back and forth, finding the right rhythm and then using the edit to create extra jokes.”
Looking back on the project now, did it unfold as you planned? What were the most enjoyable, surprising and challenging moments of it?
“There are loads of moments I could have never planned and loads that I did plan that didn’t even make it into the final edit. Doing the show in Machynlleth first was a bonus as it was me at my loosest, so gave lots of options to pick up on the next records. I would then go away and make notes on where I could improve phrasing, how I could change the wording of a joke to make it land better and what crowdwork or improvised moments I could riff on in the next taping.
“For some reason I pretended to moonwalk after a joke did well, so I knew I wanted to reference that in the next recordings to highlight the stupidity of doing that. It was so fun to think about recording a special in that way – providing the audience watching on a screen a new experience that isn’t possible live.”
What’s next in the Stuart Laws show-making pipeline? (With you, there’s always something cooking…)
“Oh I’m always cooking something, always got a chicken in the slow-cooker. I am working on a feature length DVD extra from 2005 of the making of a scene from Batman Begins where Michael Caine says ‘NEVER’. I’ve been doing it as a live show, with a cast of comedians playing crew and Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale. In March this year we filmed the biggest one yet and are filming additional material to turn it into a comedy special that I don’t think has been seen before. A DVD extra from the set of Batman Begins that is both a a live stage show and scripted sketch show – maybe it’ll be a disaster.
“Aside from that I have a new show where I use a flight simulator and fly the audience to a destination an hour away. I started it in lockdown when I tested it as a potential chat show, and then finally got a chance to try it live at the Fringe this year which was so much fun. A clip went viral of me landing the plane in Dublin because there was a pilot in the audience who guided me in. I’m expanding the idea and doing a 90-minute version at the Pleasance in London on December 8th. OH! And I’m running my Comedians Pub Games show again at the Cheerful Earful Podcast in London. Why am I like this? I could make my life so much easier.”
Stuart Laws: Three-Way is available on YouTube now. Follow Stuart @stuartlawscomedy.
All photos: Edward Moore
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