Taking humour of North Down Under

by Barbara Hodgson, The Journal

GEORDIE humour can be appreciated just as much down south and as far afield as New Zealand, it seems, and comedy writing duo Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood are about to prove it.

The North East playwrights will see three of their popular plays travel far and wide this summer.

Waiting For Gateaux, their comedy about the worst slimming club in the world, will be showing at theatres in Croydon, Blackpool and Winchester during this month and next.

Also in July, Son of Samurai will be performed at the prestigious Latitude Festival theatre arena in Suffolk.

This play about a young Geordie shoe shop salesman who discovers he’s a descendant of a famous Samurai warrior, will be the first play from the North East to be represented at the festival whose headlining bands include Franz Ferdinand and Blondie.

Then, Dirty Dusting, their comedy about three female pensioners who set up a telephone sex line after being made redundant from their cleaning jobs, is off to the Fortune Theatre in Dunedin, New Zealand, for four weeks in July.

There, a cast of New Zealanders and Australians will get to grips with the Geordie wit.

“We are absolutely delighted,” said Trevor.

“Our producers are taking our work to new pastures and what that proves beyond any doubt is that North East humour can travel anywhere in the world.”

The three plays all initially premiered at The Customs House in South Shields.

Audiences on the other side of the world may know something of what to expect from Dirty Dusting as Gateaux has already made a successful trip to New Zealand and has proved popular with audiences there.