Curtains Up!

Comedian and TV star Jason Manford comes to Llandudno’s Venue Cymru this January with the Tony award-winning musical Curtains. Shire caught up with him to chat about the show and how he fi nds life in musical theatre compared with his roots in stand-up comedy

Although he’s best known as a stand-up comic, Jason Manford is quite at home singing and dancing his way around the stage. In fact, his performing roots were more in that area. ‘I remember being about nine or 10 at school,’ Jason says, ‘and I don’t know how they got away with it, but they took us to see Sweeney Todd! It was quite an experience, and I remember thinking it was just brilliant. I was in every musical I could be at high school, whether it was my year group or not I would badger the teacher until they let me be a part of it.’

Jason’s love goes further than just performing. ‘I actually wrote a couple of musicals myself when I was at uni too and I’ve got a couple of writing projects for theatre that I’m working on, but it’s a big world to dive into and a fl op is a real fl op, so it’s a big risk.’

Mystery theatre

For now Jason is getting into character as Frank Cioffi , a Boston detective obsessed with musicals. When a murder happens in a theatre, his dogged pursuit of the killer begins. The show, described as a comedy ‘In theatre it’s lovely to be part of a cast, a family feel’ Family fortune Stepping in to musical theatre has given Jason an escape from the sometimes lonely world of stand-up. ‘I didn’t realise at fi rst how much I enjoy working with other people. You spend so much time alone when you’re touring as a stand-up. I mean, don’t feel sorry for me, I did very well out of it, but it’s a lonely job! So, in theatre it’s lovely to be part of a cast, a family feel, which I really love.’ Jason isn’t swapping roles entirely – he will still pursue his comedy career, as well as whatever else comes along. ‘My dad always used to say to me, “Your horizon should become your middle distance” so that you aim for things and when you get there you head on to the next thing. That’s great advice. I don’t have a preference at the moment – there are times when stand-up is number one and times when it’s theatre.’

musical whodunit, has been a huge Broadway success already. ‘What I love about Frank is that he’s such a sweet guy, even considering he’s there to solve a murder,’ Jason says. ‘He loves theatre but hasn’t had the chance to be on stage, and that’s not dissimilar from how I started. ‘He’s fun to play. One of the challenges is the accent, but I get to work with an accent coach and I’ve been watching lots of fi lms set in Boston to get an ear for it. We’ve also got a few dance numbers, so I’ve been hitting the gym to prepare for that!’

When he’s not performing, Jason is always busy working –but his family brings him back to normality. ‘I don’t really have down time!’ he says. ‘Even when I’m off I like writing down ideas or music, but that’s a privilege really. I suppose my real down time is hanging out with my kids. They’re a good laugh and I love it!’ Curtains is at Venue Cymru from 4th to 8th February. See www.venuecymru.co.uk