Pull The Other One prides itself on showcasing some of the utterly surreal corners of the comedy world and last Friday at Herne Hill was no exception. The introduction of The Lady In Red to the stage brought with it one of the most bizarre, fantastic and hilarious performances I have witnessed on the PTOO stage. And one which Martin Soan best summed up as “true poetical comic theatre.” It turns out the man behind the dress is the brilliantly talented comedian, actor and writer Steve Oram, so I caught up with him last week to throw a few questions his way and more importantly check when he’s next going to be back on our stage.
You stole the show last month at Herne Hill, how did you enjoy the Pull The Other One experience?
I loved it. I was introduced as a burlesque act, so people were probably expecting a pretty lady with not many clothes on. Instead they got a bloke with a ginger beard in a dress. Or maybe nobody noticed, I dunno. It was good to have Martin Soan helping out doing a cameo as a kind of dancing god. He added an extra level of strangeness to things which I liked a lot. I love doing Pull The Other One gigs, they’re always excellent fun. Martin and Viv are partial to the stranger acts which is fantastic. The audience is always guaranteed to have gone away having seen some sights which is the best sort of night.
Your ‘Lady In Red’ character Mary, I understand original featured in your work with Tom Meeten in your comedy duo Oram & Meeten, when and how did this partnership begin?
Yeah, Tom and I met about twelve years ago when an agent asked us to be in a sketch show for Edinburgh, which he had the idea of putting together like a boy band. Like we were the comedy versions of Jason Orange and Mark Owen if you can imagine that. We even had a dance routine! It didn’t really work but Tom and I started doing our own thing and it went on from there. We’ve had a very good marriage ever since.
So what came first for you, the stand-up comedy or the acting?
Stand up came first, but I was always doing character stuff so it hasn’t been a giant leap. I started doing characters on the open mic circuit and then at universities and various dodgy gigs around the place. Usually changing in the toilets but gradually improving until I’d occasionally get to change in a shared dressing room with a carpet and stuff. I never really had any plan for it to lead to acting, I’d always just loved comics like Ronnie Barker, Spike Milligan, Vic Reeves so I wanted to be like them I guess.
Can you tell us a bit more about Lincoln Film Studios and how it started up?
Lincoln Studios came from a drunk conversation with a friend about how boring Hollywood films were. As a joke I said I was gonna start up the ‘English Hollywood’ and base it in Lincoln. But I did it, just filming my own films with my mates in and editing them on the computer myself. It was an inspiring way to work, cos I felt free to do anything and it didn’t matter, like you do when you’re a kid. It’s been good tapping into that sense of hilarity, which is how you do good work I think. Though not if you’re a surgeon or an airline pilot or something. I dunno, maybe then too.
You seem to have your fingers in many pies, from acting, stand up comedy, writing and directing. But where does your true passion lie?
It probably lies in writing, which is what connects them all. And humour is totally at the heart of it all. I love creating characters and seeing where they end up going. Having an adventure with them I suppose. And everything has to come from a humourous place, even the serious stuff. I’ve met a few people who don’t have any sense of humour at all and that is quite astonishing. How do you get through life!?
You co-wrote and are starring in a new feature film called ‘Sightseers’ directed by Ben Wheatley, could you tell us a bit more about the project and how it came about?
Alice Lowe and I had these characters we were performing live. These sort of suburban Brummies that were serial killers. We tried to get them on TV but no-one wanted it cos it was too dark. Not exactly Terry and June. Although in a weird way it was. Then Edgar Wright picked up on it, which lead to a Film 4 commission and we then spent several years writing and honing the script. We didn’t know what we were doing to start with, sort of learning as we went, but it all came together in a really nice way eventually. I’ve just seen the first cut of it and I’m really chuffed to bits with it!
What other projects have you got lined up for 2012?
I’m writing another film script at the moment and also a TV project with Tom called ‘The Forgotten Picture Show’ which we filmed a taster for last year. It’s basically a movie parody show. The one we filmed was like Rebel Without A Cause crossed with Grease. I played a geek and Tom was this fonzie-like character with a metal hand.
I’m sure the question on everyone’s lips is – are we going to see another appearance from you down at Pull The Other One in the future?
Absolutely. Tom and I are doing some stuff down at the Half Moon pretty soon I think. I can’t wait.
With the rich history of 80s experimental comedy behind them, the PTOO team aims to generate a real sense of congeniality and affection for the art of comedy and variety, whilst creating a nurturing environment for both artist and audience. To book your ticket in advance click here.