We are big fans of Alison Thea-Skot here at Funny Women. This month she’s taking her new show It’s Thea-Skot in Here (So Take Off All Your Clothes) to Soho Theatre in London. If you like comedy that’s a tad on the unhinged side that has little to no grip on reality then this is the show for you. We chatted to Alison about her show, how she got into comedy and why it’s plausible that Celine Dion could have Michael Bolton by the balls…
Funny Women: Tell us about your new show It’s Thea-Skot in Here (So Take Off All Your Clothes)
Alison Thea-Skot: It’s a high-octane blast of character comedy. You get to hang out with Cher as a bat, become a disciple of Donna Kebab (a gospel preacher, who is also a kebab), solve a crime with DCI Spray Tits and fall in love with The Woman With Two Heads. All in 55 minutes.
In this new show I’ve taken everything up a gear. It’s messy and joyful. Stuff tends to end up thrown around the stage – and all up the walls – I love the effect this has on an audience and the space it instantly takes you to.
FW: How would you describe your comedy?
AT-S: Chaotic character comedy, a solo sketch show with an improvised heartbeat. I blend each character together with a shot of improvisation to make every show a little different. A healthy dose of audience interaction makes this baby fly. I always make sure anyone who gets involved leaves as a hero.
FW: Where do you get ideas such as, oh say…Celine Dion holding a pair of Michael Bolton’s testicles from?!
AT-S: I love bold, powerful women who don’t apologise for their work. Characters like Celine or Cher have an instant connection with an audience, switching up the context is very satisfying. Why can’t she be holding Michael Bolton’s balls? In my mind it makes perfect sense.
FW: How did you get started in comedy?
AT-S: I was fortunate to meet a bunch of inspiring funny folks in an acting gig in my early twenties. We were touring a children’s show for many months and to amuse ourselves backstage, we created sketches and vignettes to make each other laugh. When the job finished we formed a sketch group together. We allowed each other to be silly, ugly and above all uncensored. The trick to getting started in comedy is finding a space where you can test out your voice and what makes you funny. Nearly all of those guys are still working in comedy, producing great work; Susan Harrison, Short and Curly, Fraser Millward, Colin Leggo to name but a few.
FW: Who are your favourite funny women?
AT-S: There are so many to mention, they are everywhere! Contrary to whatever shit you may be led to believe, there are so many women producing the funniest work around. From the biggies who inspired me as a youngster to the newbies, my peers, who inspire me now. I’ll list my peers because that’s what’s important to me right now. These guys keep me sane when gigging on the circuit and I love them:
Katia Kvinge, Kat Bond, Gabby Best, Emma Sidi, Lucy Pearman, Marny Godden, Elf Lyons, Lazy Susan, Massive Dad, Lorna Shaw, Lou Sanders, Birthday Girls… The list goes on. Give them all a TV show!
Catch Alison Thea-Skot performing her new show It’s Thea-Skot in Here (So Take Off All Your Clothes) at Soho Theatre from Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th January. For tickets and more information click here!
