AN AWARD-WINNING comedian has spoken of his love for performing on stage.
Rob Brydon, well-known for his roles in Gavin And Stacey, Would I Lie To You and The Trip, will be performing his new show A Night Of Songs And Laughter at Brighton Dome on September 25 as part of his tour.
The 54-year-old's new show will recount his life story through anecdotes and songs.
He said: "I go back to my childhood. I was 16 and starting to get interested in girls, but I was always pining from afar.
"In my teens, I lived in Porthcawl, a coastal town in Wales, and all the cool boys were surfers. I wasn't a surfer. I had a go once, but I hurt my knee."
Brydon has not performed regularly due to the pandemic and restrictions making live shows difficult to organise.
He said: "I hope people will come out happier than when they went in because they've had such a great time. I hope they will have forgotten about the world for two hours, especially considering the last year we have all had.
"As a performer in the last few years, you can really feel that people just want to escape. It's tangible.
"People come up to you afterwards and say, 'I'm so glad you didn't talk about the state of the country'. My show is an escape.
"It's a service. People want to go out and be entertained. In times of adversity, which you could definitely say we are in now, people want that more than ever."
The BAFTA-nominated actor is surprised by the number of people who did not know he was able to sing. He said: "It will take some people by surprise. There are so many media outlets nowadays that some people might only know me from Gavin And Stacey or Would I Lie To You?.
"Those people often say to me, 'I didn't know you could sing', and yet I have sung a lot. I hope this show is a very pleasant surprise for audiences.
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"Of course, the box office is still open, a percentage of the audience will be looking for a refund, I don't doubt that.
"I can only hope that the more forgiving among them will draw a line in the sand and put it behind them."
Tickets for the show are available for £40 from https://brightondome.org/
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