Spotlight: Jade Fearnley
Manchester has its own booming improv comedy scene, and Jade Fearnley is at its heart
This month’s Spotlight, Jade Fearnley, is a stand-up and improviser, head honcho of murder mystery night Murder Inc. and member of Frog and Bucket resident group the Discount Comedy Checkout.
Influences?
“To name but a few – Monty Python, Victoria Wood, Richard Pryor, Tina Fey, and most of all Sly Stallone.”
First gig?
“Short form improv, Meadow Bar at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival '08. I wasn't doing stand-up yet and I don't remember being nearly as scared when I eventually did do it. The show is a blur, but I remember just buzzing afterwards because I did a distinctly adequate job. Not bad for a first go!”
Proudest gig?
“Murder Inc. shows keep me consistently satisfied, but the most proud I've ever been was last year. We'd only been going for, say, six steady months and we suddenly had 70 people turn up for our Valentines special. That's a big squish in the upstairs room at the Ape and Apple, and myself and Kate McCabe (co-manager) were quite taken aback. Getting an audience is obviously the agenda with every show, but an audience of this many on a Thursday night for improv comedy? Amazing.
“Now we sell out so often we have added an extra show each month at the venue, while off the back of the Valentine's experience, we started a ticket link with an audience cap as to not break fire regulations! I can see the headlines now: ‘People Die in Murder Mystery.’”
Hardest gig?
“This is difficult because I am the ultimate optimist, so after every tough gig I have, I give myself a pep talk: ‘Don't worry, they won't remember you for it; your glasses covered some of your face. Just do better next time and stop eating like this while you're in public.’
“Endurance-wise, I recently wore a full on furry puppet suit to do Jack Evans' Control Panel show as his resident alien. Hot and hard work, but fun at any Fahrenheit.”
What would you be doing if you weren't doing stand-up?
“Improv, and if I couldn't do that I'd probably be trying to get a singing career off the ground. I'm destined to show off.”
What’s the largest animal you think you could beat in a fight? No weapons.
“Being scared of large animals – and of heights – the thought of having to get high up enough to chin a giraffe makes me wince.”
Favourite words?
“'Nincompoop' has come back to me after many years and I'm enjoying it.”
If you had to live in any other period of time, what would it be and why?
“Without a doubt the 60s. Purely to be part of the soul music movement in its moment of magic.”
You’re accused of murder! What item do you take on the run? Oh, and did you do it?
“A pair of Skechers for the blissful comfort they provide when moving fast. I'm taking the rap for someone else, but I'm very cross about it.”
What/who would be your sidekick?
“Beyoncé. Get her out of the limelight for a bit; she's knackered, bless her.”
If you were to be famous for anything other than comedy, what would it be?
“I used to be a life model, so perhaps I'd be immortalised in a famous piece of art: Jade's sweet ass, in charcoal.”
What’re you up to right now?
“Getting rid of a cold.”
Weapon of choice:
“When in a high-octane conflict, stop everything and start singing the end song from Bugsy Malone... 'We could have been anything that we wanted to be...' I haven't tried it myself, so let me know how you get on.”
Who was the hardest in your year, and could you take them now?
“He was a blob-headed little toerag and if I saw him now I'd femme fatale him into a seduced stupor, break his heart and leave him. Only to wind up seeing him again when we are old and frail, spending our final days in the same retirement home. We have a wise and meaningful reconciliation that helps us end our time on this earth peacefully, and when we hold hands to cross over into the afterlife together, I tell him, ‘I'm ready.’ Then, he dies first and I keep kicking it for a couple of months. That'll show him, the pillock."
The next Discount Comedy Checkout at The Frog and Bucket, Manchester is 20 Aug
For more information on upcoming Murder Inc. The Improvised Murder Mystery nights, head to www.facebook.com/crimeinvestigationimprov
Twitter: @jaderino, @murderincMCR, @comedycheckout