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Comedian Ray O’Leary: ‘It’s concerning that so many people dress up like me’




Some stand-ups look like they were born to do comedy – there is just something about them that is instantly funny. Paul Foot is one example, New Zealand comic Ray O’Leary is another.

“Thank you, it’s the kind of look that I could never be a doctor or a politician, or someone you’re meant to put any kind of trust in, or faith,” says Ray, a three-time nominee for Best Male Comedian by the NZ Comedy Guild, of my observation/compliment.

Ray O'Leary. Picture: Emma Holland
Ray O'Leary. Picture: Emma Holland

“I’ve definitely had that before… It’s the ideal outcome for a comedian, where you walk on stage and the people are going ‘Oh no, this guy looks funny so we’re in safe hands here – this guy looks ridiculous, this guy looks absurd’.

“I’m always sort of hoping the look comes across, because I put on a suit but it’s not a very good suit, it’s not tailored or anything, and it doesn’t fit me as well as it should.

“And I always hope I get across that I’ve clearly tried to make some kind of effort, that I’ve not quite nailed it – sort of a David Byrne/Talking Heads kind of vibe.”

Ray, speaking to the Cambridge Independent from Perth, where he’d gone to take part in the annual Fringe World Festival, described as “the happiest place on Perth”, recalls that the idea to wear a suit on stage came when he attended a comedy awards night in Wellington, New Zealand.

Wellington is the city where he attended university and where he began his comedy career, at Raw Meat Monday, ‘Wellington’s longest-running open mic comedy night’.

“Because it was an awards night, I had dressed up,” he remembers. “I performed and I think I had a good set, and one of the comedians there just said ‘Oh, that suit suits you, you should wear it’ and I was like ‘Yeah, all right, I’ll just do that for the rest of my life then’.

“And I’ll tell you what, when I made that decision at the end of 2015 in Wellington, New Zealand, I was not anticipating having to perform in 40-degree weather in Perth just a few years later.”

When some of Ray’s fans come to see him perform live, they take it upon themselves to dress in a similar fashion.

“Yes, you’re right – I’m a huge trend-setter, a real fashionista for these people,” he notes. “It’s happened quite a few times – a worrying amount almost!

“In Perth actually, last time I was here, some people came dressed as me, and the comedy club owner saw them and they were like ‘We’re going to try and sit them in the back because we don’t want them to be a distraction’. Then somehow they got onto the second row…

“I guess it’s concerning but at the same time I think it’s probably a positive sign that I have such a distinct look that people can dress up like me.

“But I remember having a birthday party, and this was before I even did comedy, and friends of mine they all dressed up like me, and they wore wigs.

“And I remember my friend saying ‘How does it feel knowing that your genuine haircut can be purchased as a funny wig?’ Very humbling.”

Born and raised in the New Zealand city of Whanganui, Ray has been living in Melbourne, Australia, for “about 18 months”.

I had heard recently that there is an exciting and dynamic comedy scene in Australia at present.

“Yes, I agree,” says the thirty-something comic, whose television appearances include Rabble Rousers and the New Zealand versions of Have You Been Paying Attention? and Taskmaster.

“Melbourne, especially, I think is really supportive of the arts. Melbourne has the Melbourne Comedy Festival, which I now believe is the biggest comedy festival in the world, because the previous biggest comedy festival in the world collapsed and went bankrupt.

“I think New Zealand has a fantastic comedy scene as well, but there’s just fewer people in it and a smaller audience base, just because it’s a smaller country.”

Ray O'Leary. Picture: Emma Holland
Ray O'Leary. Picture: Emma Holland

Ray will be returning to the UK at the end of January for a 14-date tour, which includes a stop at the Junction.

It follows his sold-out Edinburgh Fringe Festival run last year and his 2024 UK support slots for fellow New Zealand comic Melanie Bracewell.

The show he will be doing is titled Your Laughter Is Just Making Me Stronger.

“I believe Cambridge is the last stop on the tour so it’ll be the final time I ever do the show – so I’m looking forward to doing it in Cambridge, for the last time,” says Ray, a fan of fellow stand-ups Stewart Lee, Norm Macdonald, Nate Bargatze, and the aforementioned Melanie Bracewell.

“I guess it’s just a show about me and what I’ve been up to in my life, like my history studying philosophy, and I think you’ll see how that’s impacted the rest of my comedy…

“I very obliquely discuss my move to Australia, I talk about that, and it’s largely a collection of all the funniest things I’ve thought of in the past couple of years.”

Ray’s gig is at the Cambridge Junction (J3) on Sunday, 16 February.

Sell it to us then, Ray... “You’ll enjoy it if you come,” he says.

No doubt we will.

[Read more: Comedian Russell Hicks: ‘Chaos has a way of finding me’]

Tickets, priced £19.50, are available from junction.co.uk. For more on Ray O’Leary, go to facebook.com/rayolearycomedy/ ?locale=en_GB.



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