After 30 years in acting, Robert Hall is branching out into stand-up comedy, with his first solo headline show coming up in Chichester on Thursday, December 12 at 8pm at The Duke & Rye in West Street (free admission, no tickets required, just turn up).
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00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Answer Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Always
00:06loved it to speak to Rob Hall, who is performing as Robert Hall. And, significantly, after
00:1130 odd years as an actor, you are going to stand up. You've got your own night of stand-up
00:18comedy in Chichester. And it's happening relatively quickly, isn't it? The comedy's coming on
00:24a pace.
00:26Well, it is. I'd like to hope. I actually have people saying to me, are you funny? Well,
00:32I hope so. Come along on the 12th of December and find out.
00:38And why the comedy then? How has that happened?
00:42I like making people smile. I like making people laugh. I enjoy it. It's a release.
00:48I mean, I think, you know, we've all had some tragedies and comedies in our past and stuff
00:54like that. And for me, it is a release. It's great fun, that feeling of being up there
00:58and everybody's watching you and they're all expectant. And you thought, you're mine. You're
01:02mine to make you laugh or cry and hopefully laugh. It's just a buzz from doing it. And
01:08it's very nice when people just like to relax. And, of course, they're going to laugh because
01:13they're all sitting there going, I'm so glad I'm not standing up on that stage. And it's
01:17almost like you're the focus of what the evening is about. And it's just nice to make
01:24people laugh and smile, bring a bit of humour into the world.
01:28Absolutely. Where are you wanting to go with this then? This is your first whole night
01:33of doing it, isn't it?
01:34It's the first whole night. I did do a few open mic sessions where it was a mix of comedy
01:41and singing. And I found that I was being slotted in with my comedy, which can be a
01:45little bit dark and a bit riotous. And then, of course, somebody would do a very serious
01:50poem afterwards and she'd be sitting there and everybody still be shaking with laughter
01:55after what I'd been doing. So I thought, Titus needs to have a full comedy night of
01:59its own. And a very good friend of mine asked me if I'd be happy to do that at the Duke
02:04of Rye. So, yes, it's the first time I've ever done this after 30 years of reasonably
02:12sensible acting. I've actually just gone for the for the for the comedy evening, a
02:16whole comedy evening.
02:17So it's possible to do Edinburgh next year if all goes well?
02:21Absolutely. Absolutely. See, there we are. I'm waffling on and I've actually forgotten
02:25the point of your original question is where I want to go with it. So, yes, I'd love to
02:28do Edinburgh.
02:29That's my gentle nudge.
02:30It was your very gentle nudge, indeed. It would be lovely to do Edinburgh next year
02:35and then some of the other comedy festivals and maybe a bit of touring possibly as well.
02:42So, give me the where for this debut.
02:45Yes, of course. It's at the Duke and Rye in West Street, Chichester. It's the pub that
02:51used to be an old church, appropriately enough. And it's on Thursday, the 12th of December
02:57and it starts at 8pm and it's free entry. So come along, bring your friends.
03:03Do you get tickets in advance? Just turn up?
03:05No, no, no. It's just come along. At the moment. At the moment. Yes. So who knows?
03:13Good luck with that. Lovely to speak to you. Thank you.
03:16Very much. Very many thanks indeed, Phil. And you. Cheers.