Andrew White promising Chichester audiences "cheeky, raucous, fun and silly"

Rhinestone Comedian will take to the stage on Tuesday, June 10 from 20:00-21:00 at The Havana, 3 Little London, Chichester, PO19 1PH. Tickets from the Fringe box office.

The debut was Young, Gay & A Third Thing: “And I was very pleased with how it went. It was very speculative. I had no idea who would turn up. I was doing it all myself but it was really good fun. We went ahead with every show. We didn't pull any at all. We had some very busy shows and we had some quieter shows. I suppose I learned which ones sell and which ones don’t and maybe a little bit about why, but I think I also learned that I have a freedom when I'm doing it for myself that I can really play with. I could be very luxurious in how I presented my material.”

The independent starting point is key: “There a lot of people touring now. The model of stand-up is moving more towards independent tours. The circuit is not that strong in some ways. I think it is becoming a bit more localised. People don't travel as far post-Covid. People driving miles to Birmingham or Edinburgh or wherever all over the country doesn’t really happen so much now. I think maybe there is a little bit less hunger.

“But another factor is social media. People have got much more capacity to tour themselves if they've got a decent following. Before, you had to be on TV and then you could slog around the country, but now if you have got enough followers on social media you can probably find 50 people in a room somewhere, so I think all that gives you more creative freedom. You just need to find enough people with the same sense of humour as you which maybe narrows the market a little bit. I think the real skill is to be able to play to everyone but I don't think that skill is quite as important anymore, and that's a shame.”

As for the latest show: “It is not really about anything in particular in that sense. It is very much material that I like, that I've been doing in the clubs and I have never fitted into shows before. It will be a lot of fun. When you start writing, often a theme emerges but with this I'm not in a fringe narrative mindset. The Rhinestone element is just me getting my pearls out and putting a bit of glamour into the show. I do like to dress up!”

As for the comedy: “I come from the school of playing to everyone in the room. It might be doing a meat raffle at the back of the pub or playing to a few students in a bar, but I learnt to play to every crowd quite quickly and I think that makes my comedy quite accessible. It's a broad church. It is quite witty. It is maybe a little risque but not in the sense of double entendres. I just want it to be a bit edgy. It feels a bit lame to claim yourself as being a bit edgy but it is edgy. It's me doing what I do which is quite a camp heightened high-status persona on stage. It is cheeky. That’s the thing. It is cheeky and raucous and fun and silly.”