Content Note: discussion of grief

Rain trickles down the window of a dimly lit café. Opposite me sits a man, daunted by the size of the task that lay ahead of him. An hour of stand-up comedy is a huge undertaking at the best of times, to do it on such a grim topic is all the more so. Through the sound of the downpour outside, I suggest that the weather is fitting for the subject matter. “Yes” he winces, “I am a sad, sad man.”

“He once performed a whole five-minute set describing a world where young men are milked like dairy cows”

Isaac Kean is no stranger to blue humour. He once performed a whole five-minute set describing a world where young men are milked like dairy cows. It was supposed to be poignant absurdism, but it came off as plain stupid. The venue did not book him again.

His latest venture, “How (not) to Cope”, running as a one-night stand at the ADC theatre, is about a grimmer subject: the recent death of his mother. The show promises to highlight the funny side of grief, pain, and loss. I ask him whether a person who primarily writes sketches about bizarre kinks or silly shop owners is equipped to handle such a delicate topic with the care it deserves.

“That’s quite a mean thing to say – wait, did you just write down the word ‘a***hole?” I did. And I underlined it shortly afterwards.

“I want to explore the humour inherent in the hurt – in a way I hope will show the human side of loss”

The premise of How (not) to Cope is Kean working through feelings about loss by telling jokes about it to a room full of strangers. But is it comedy as therapy, or therapy as comedy? “Hopefully neither, but maybe both in a way. I want to explore the humour inherent in the hurt – in a way I hope will show the human side of loss.” Sounds pretentious and whiny to me, but what do I know?

What brought Isaac to write a whole show about grief, I ask? “It’s a topic that’s obviously been on my mind a lot lately. I didn’t start out thinking I wanted to talk about it for an hour, but I just wrote some jokes about what I was feeling and this is what came out.”

I suggest another motive. ‘Tragicomedy’ is in vogue at the moment. A plethora of stand-up shows about mental health, grief, or traditionally ‘serious’ topics have been released in recent years. Maybe Kean simply wanted to ride that bandwagon to fame and fortune? “Well I don’t really think that’s a fair comment to-”

What kind of person would do that? Use the death of a loved one as a cynical ploy to get artsy reviewers on side? Has he no shame? “Okay, look can we-” He was stunned into silence by my biting analysis.

At this point, Isaac asks if we can wrap up the interview, presumably rattled by my fearless pursuit of the truth. I decide to throw him a bone, to keep the quotes rolling. What is the intended reaction from the audience, I ask?

“Right, well the first time I tried out this material, someone came up to me after the show and said they really related to it, and that they appreciated seeing it spoken about in a funny way. That’s what I want I suppose – to give people even the smallest bit of comfort through laughter. And even though the focus is grief, I hope it says something more general about the pain we carry.”

Is this mystery person real? Or merely another figment of Kean’s marketing strategy? I pose the question – then before he can answer I let out a high pitched scream.

“Please let me go.”

How (not) to Cope is showing at 11pm on 24th May at the ADC Theatre.