Last month we reviewed James Mullinger’s film ‘Anything Is Possible’, the recently released full length comedy show of his record-setting performance at Saint John’s Harbour Station. Over the course of the show the Londoner-turned-Maritimer turns the mirror back on his audience in a celebration of the quirky idiosyncrasies of the east coast lifestyle he finds himself immersed in.
Mullinger openly admits during the show that the arena-sized crowd could find him any day of the week wandering around the aisles of the local supermarket, but were still willing to purchase a ticket to see him on stage.
We wanted to know how he gets away doing this again and again – so we asked him.
How much of New Brunswick’s population has seen your act at this point?
Good question. I guess it depends how many times people have come to see me live! My act is evolving constantly so a lot of what is in this show I don’t do at all any more and some of it was just for that one show. I wrote the “Saint John is where anything goes but everybody knows” bit just for that one night at Harbour Station and have never done it since. Of course I knew the show was being filmed for the CBC documentary City On Fire but I never thought that the whole show would end up being released internationally as a stand up special on Hulu and Amazon Prime so it’s kind of funny to me to see all these references to things like the 3 Mile and Sobeys and King Street and wonder what Germans or Americans or Japanese people make of it! But I also think it makes it more pure and real because if I had known that there would have been a temptation to over explain stuff to an international crowd but actually you don’t need to because people who watch stand up are generally very smart and can fill in the blanks.
It’s interesting because in England some people who used to come to a lot of my shows are enjoying my different style now by watching the special on Amazon Prime. And equally it is bringing me new fans in England so when I play in the UK now I get old fans and new ones coming out and it’s all thanks to Saint John and the people (like Hemmings House) who made this film happen. The reviews on Amazon Prime UK sum up the reaction I get back home which is lovely.
In America some get it, some don’t. but I have been turning down all work in America anyway because, well, who would want to be there right now. Not me. Except Mardens in Calais obviously. That is as far as I’ll go in! I need to be running distance to Pita Pit in St Stephen if I am going to go to the States!
Has anything stood out for reactions where you’re poking fun at (and celebrating) the place where you live?
Mostly people come and say nice things or thank me for charity work I have done or whatnot. But sometimes people don’t like me or don’t get the joke and that’s fine. What I do isn’t for everyone. One woman at a corporate gig at the Algonquin Resort started heckling me aggressively during some jokes about Saint John saying that I was disparaging her city by being rude about it. She was drunk and not really listening to what I was saying.
On the other hand you get people complaining that I am trying to change the city and make it better. Really I am doing none of these things. I am just a comedian. I’m not a politician. I just want to make people laugh and in my spare time I do a bit of charity work. I have no other agenda than to live a good life, enjoy where I live and do a good job. I think people who want to complain about what I do could perhaps find a better way to spend their time. I can certainly recommend some wonderful charities in Saint John that could fill their time with volunteer work.
How do you keep things fresh in a comedy scene this small? Does it mean an increase in joke turn-over rate? Do jokes get retired sooner?
Absolutely. I try to ensure no two shows are the same. Some kind and lovely people come and see me live every few weeks so I try to keep it fresh for them but also ensure that people who haven’t seen me are getting the best, most polished and honed material. Of course when the perform elsewhere in the country I can just cull from all the material and pick the best. I don’t have to worry about that. But it was the same in England. In addition to clubs I toured small theatres every year with a brand new show so that anyone coming to see me every year got all new jokes. I am headlining Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto for four shows this March. I was last there about two years ago. I won’t be doing any of the same jokes. It will be a whole new set.
But yes, in Saint John my shows can change week-to-week. Which is a great thing it keeps me on my toes. And I see it in other comedians. The reason the new comedians in Saint John are so much better than new comedians almost anywhere else is because they are working constantly to keep it fresh as well as hone it. They also have the privilege of clubs like Yuk Yuk’s and Chuckles willing to give them stage time. In London when I started in 2004 you had to go on an 8-month waiting list to get on at a pub gig. Here you can email Steve and be on the Yuk Yuk’s stage on a Wednesday the following month.
What does your material look like when you perform elsewhere?
Not much different. Sometimes explaining certain things and I might leave out very specific routines for instance on the war between Quispamsis and Rothesay but for the most part it is the same. Most of what I talk about is universal. Most people have been in relationships, or been around children or have been in big cities and small towns or have had sex. So my act can play well pretty much anywhere which is lucky because if it didn’t I wouldn’t be able to support my family which is always ultimately my priority.
Are you telling jokes about New Brunswick outside of New Brunswick? How are people reacting to it? Are they able to relate? Do they get the references?
Much of it is the same. For instance the St. Stephen bit – even though it is specifically about that place it ca be understood by anyone who knows small towns. I don’t change that bit to a place near to the venue I am performing. I just explain that there’s a small town near me called St. Stephen then do the bit. People get it. It’s important to never underestimate or patronize your audience and things don’t need over explaining. When I recorded by Laugh Out Loud stand up special for CBC Radio, I asked Ali Hassan (the host and one of the best comedians in North America) if I should explain a joke about King Street. He said no, everyone will have their equivalent everywhere in the world and they will get it. People fill in the blanks in their mind.
James Mullinger – Anything Is Possible (filmed live at Saint John’s Harbour Station in 2016) will be available at Sunrise Records from Thursday. Or now from his website: www.jamesmullinger.com/store/
He is currently on tour with shows coming up in Fredericton, Liverpool, Yarmouth, Toronto, St. Stephen, Miramichi. Tickets here: www.jamesmullinger.com/tour
There are less than 2000 tickets left for his big Harbour Station show on Saturday 28th April. Opening acts are: musicians Kyla Lingley, Ethan Ash and comedians Garrett Clark and Dr. Ansar Hassan. Tickets: Click Here