Planet Mearns

<strong>Raymond Mearns</strong> tells us all about life in a comedy collective

Feature by Jen Lavery | 01 Apr 2011

There was sadness among many west-coast comedy enthusiasts when improv troupe Dance Monkey Boy, Dance! called it a day on their bi-monthly Monday night show at The Stand. But fans of the Boys will be pleased to know that Raymond Mearns and John Ross, joined by Limmy’s Show alumni Tom Brogan and Debbie Welsh, will be returning under the guise of Planet Mearns at the Glasgow  International Comedy Festival!

So what’s life like on Planet Mearns? Let’s ask the man himself.

The team have been working on sketches for about a year and half. “We sit down together, have a laugh, talk about things that have happened, come up with situations and build sketches on that. If you liked the Monkey Boys, you will absolutely, definitely like this.” Whilst it isn’t improvised like DMBD, Mearns sees it as an extension of that improvised spirit; the sketches are “a result of us getting together and just messing about”.

Ross, who was the last permanent member of the Monkey Boys (“It was because of me it disbanded. 'Cause they knew they wouldn’t get anyone better after that!”) is also very excited by the new project.

“We’ve played a couple of gigs in The Stand and they went down really well. We’re going to be filming some stuff too, which I’m really pleased about. The dynamic between the four of us works really well and it's making us laugh all the time so I think it’s going to be a great show!”

It could be a case of ‘see them live while you can’ as the troupe have already generated interest among TV and radio producers. Mearns recalls the reaction of comedian and writer Phil Differ to their scripts, who told him “‘You can tell these have been written for YOU. They’ve not been written to tell people maybe what they want to hear or to copy what’s the current in vogue. These are absolutely written from the heart and they’re fucking funny.’”

 

 

Planet Mearns will be playing the Ramshorn Theatre on 5&6 Apr only, and advance booking is advised. 7.30pm, £10 (£9)

http://www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com