Over a lengthy career Ed Byrne has been all sorts of comedians. Among them a beer-swigging, swaggering stand-up and a geeky gagsmith. The latter should have been apt as his name is even an anagram of Be Nerdy. Yet somehow no style seemed to be the real Ed Byrne.
Now finally, at the age of 51, he has delivered a fantastically funny and moving monologue where there is no doubt that we are seeing the authentic Ed. And the performance is all the better for it. The erstwhile Mock The Week star still swaggers here and is geeky there but for once it all has a purpose.
Byrne’s new work is called Tragedy Plus Time – a quote about the essence of humour often attributed to Mark Twain. It is the perfect title. In February 2022 Byrne’s brother Paul died, aged 44, from liver damage. The show is a poignant, powerfully vivid portrait of their complex relationship.
Paul Byrne worked in comedy as a director and was widely respected and loved, although the brothers patently had their ups and downs. These are the bullet points, but Ed says so much more. He talks rapidly to squeeze so much into a set that is funnier and more compelling than anything he has created before.
It was not an easy relationship, with heated rows, stomping off and reconciliations. Onstage Byrne is clearly fired up by emotion. The script is exquisitely crafted, with early lightweight asides taking on a heavier significance later. There is never a dull moment.
And there are lots of belly laugh anecdotes, from a story about hopeless customer service after car trouble in Chiswick to recollections of Paul’s hapless bad behaviour and habit of disappearing without saying farewell – an “Irish goodbye”. Ed can still joke, but adds that “grief is always there.”
The account of Paul’s hospitalisation does not make comfortable listening, but the Byrnes obviously shared a gold standard commitment to comedy. Why else would Paul choose to be cremated accompanied by the song Disco Inferno?
It is a shame that it has taken something like this for Ed Byrne to find his voice. When comics reach middle age they tend to settle on a plateau. With Tragedy Plus Time Byrne has hit new heights. A fitting showcase for Ed, a fitting tribute for Paul.
