WALES’ top comic Rhod Gilbert has pledged to donate a proportion of his shows proceeds to Newtown’s Theatr Hafren after hearing about their current financial plight.
Rhod Gilbert, who will perform live in front of a sell-out Theatr Hafren audience on October 24, confessed his love for the old building and willingness to help them during an exclusive interview with Richard Jones.
“That is a crying shame,” expressed the award-winning funnyman after hearing how the theatre could face closure as it requires up to £450,000 to improve outdated equipment. I will have a word with them after my show down there in October and maybe I will be able to help a little bit by giving up some of the proceeds of my show to them.”
The kind-hearted bombshell came after Cardiff-based Gilbert spoke of his excitement about playing in front of a Newtown audience for the third time in as many years.
“Despite living in Wales pretty much all my life I didn’t have a clue what to expect from Newtown until I performed their two years ago. I have now been to Theatr Hafren twice and it’s always a cracking place to perform.
“There is always a really energetic crowd in Newtown and the people in the audience are never afraid to tell us exactly what they think. We go to some places where the audience is really quiet, but not in Mid Wales, you lot are never shy in holding back.
“Theatr Hafren will be one of the smallest venues that I am going to be playing on this tour. Usually the larger the venue the easier it is, but saying that one of my favourite shows of last year took place in front of a really small audience in Reading, perhaps it will be the same in Newtown this year.”
So how long can the lucky ticket holders expect Rhod Gilbert to perform for at Theatr Hafren?
“My part of the show (there will also be a support act on first) can range from anything from an hour and a quarter to three hours long,” explained Rhod.
“This is a new show so I have not had a lot of time to develop it yet and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last month it lasted just one hour, it all depends on how involved the audience get.
“I will just drive to Theatr Hafren on the day of the show and if anything peculiar happens along the way I might also incorporate that into my show.”
The Welsh Wonder’s latest show Rhod Gilbert & the cat that looked like Nicholas Lyndhurst follows the sell out success of his 2008 UK tour and sensational performances on The Royal Variety Performance, Live At The Apollo and Michael Mcintyre’s Comedy Roadshow.
The tour kicks off in Cheltenham on Friday, September 18 and will continue for two months, finishing at the renowned Hammersmith Apollo in London on Friday, November 20.
Last year, he punched a shop-assistant over the duvet tog-rating system and went berserk over a mince pie.
Stung by accusations that he over-reacts, this year Rhod sets out on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey to discover the truth.
Is he, as he believes, a visionary in a sea of closed minds, or has he, as everyone else believes, got anger-management problems?
On TV screens, Rhod has also appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC2), Dara O Briain Talks Funny (BBC 1), The Charlotte Church Show (Channel 4), with multiple appearances on 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Mock The Week (BBC 2).
Rhod’s rant about lost luggage is one of the hottest stand-up clips on YouTube – attracting almost 4.5million viewers.
According to leading comedy website Chortle, Rhod appears at number six on its top 10 comedy clips list and is the only British comedian featured.
Not just a natural on our TV screens, Rhod has written a sitcom for Radio Two entitled Rhod Gilbert’s Leaving Llanbobl which broadcast last December.
He continues to present his own weekly live show on BBC Radio Wales every Saturday from 11am-1pm and has also appeared on Loose Ends, Just A Minute and 4 At The Fringe (BBC Radio 4).
Rhod has been a sell-out at the Edinburgh festival consecutively over the past four years and is one of the hottest names in stand-up today. Catch him while you can. To book tickets, visit www.myspace.com/rhodgilbertcomedian