Interview with The Actor: Pakie O Callaghan | Eoghan Lyng
EL: With a new show hitting theatres soon, how do you think your comedy style has evolved over the years?PC: I`m not sure that it has. I think that there is a consistency about the four “Santa Ponsa” shows we have produced to date, which probably provides comfort to our audience; they know what to expect and we try not to disappoint. These shows are not exactly ground breaking and are part of a long tradition of not dissimilar sketch shows that have been an integral part of the theatre scene in Cork, certainly for a s long as I remember. EL: How many characters do you two play throughout the show? PC: In the current show we play five characters each; in my case they range from a zany Spanish waiter to the familiar gormless John and his pregnant karaoke queen daughter Melanie.EL:What do you find easier? Portraying one character from beginning to end or a multitude of different characters?PC: I suppose you would have to say that playing one character allows for more character development, but there is a bit of a challenge playing a multiplicity of diverse characters. Either way, we did not have an option, when we wrote the first of the “Santa Ponsa”`s, we discovered that the only way to produce the plays was for each of us to play a range of characters. Regrettably, the theatre is not immune from the chilly winds of economic reality.EL: With your new show curtailing Chancellor Angela Merkel, would you consider yourself and comedy partner Frank Twomey as political satirists?PC: No, I don`t think so. Certainly, this current “Santa Ponsa” show does not fit in the category of political satire. We both write and perform on the monthly “Joe Duffy Funny Friday” show and we, maybe, occasionally hit the spot in terms of political satire, but certainly not in “Santa Ponsa” which is unashamedly produced to give people a laugh. EL: How do you and Twomey conceive the plotlines for your dramas? Is it through improvisation or script writing sessions?PC: The only way we know [how to write], is to get your arse on that seat and grind it out. Like the song says, it is ninety per cent perspiration and ten per cent inspiration.EL: How does this show differ from its predecessors?PC: It`s very much from the same stable. I think that it probably has a stronger narrative than previous shows. It differs too in that there is a political backdrop [to the story], but the real fun, I think, is in the engagement between the characters and in their response to the political and economic crisis that has befallen all of us.EL: The “Santa Ponsa” team have enjoyed a period of unmitigated success. What is it about your style of humour that has such sustained appeal?PC: This is our fourth episode and we do seem to have grown a following. I think the strength of the shows and the reason they seem to appeal is their character driven nature, people immediately identify with the characters being portrayed. We recognise ourselves that lots of the script is cliché ridden and a bit banal but, you know, it is based on what we see around us every day. We don`t have to make this stuff up!Pakie O`Callaghan and Frank Twomey will perform at the Everyman Theatre from 30th September until the 5th October.
