Michael Fitzpatrick meets British comic Luisa Omielan and her dog Bernie in Central Park.
How it’s New York: Luisa Omielan recently performed in Manhattan.
How it’s Irish: Luisa has quite a following in Ireland.
It’s an image (not just a lazy comparison, ahem), that one might associate with Bernie Winters, an entertainer from a bygone era. Funny person, with large dog. The late Londoner was often accompanied by his canine companion, Schnorbitz, a St. Bernard, while performing in theaters and on TV back in the ’80s. Though while he was known for his comedic talents and his reputation as one of the UK’s more high-profile dog-lovers, Mr. Winters, who died in 1991, was not an exciting young female comic hailing from the British midlands, mentored by acclaimed, award-winning writer Richard Curtis (‘Four Weddings and a Funeral‘), and counting such comedic royalty like Dawn French as fans. See, those attributes would be more along Luisa Omielan‘s line.
There’s been others of course. Loads. Other women, other comics, other famous dogs, even other, dare we say it, ‘Brummies’ (those who are Birmingham-born or reared) in the extensive field of British entertainment.
Mixing it up then, and extending the old Venn diagrams a little, where sex, birthplace and occupations are concerned, there are also other females from Birmingham, known for their, em, funniness. Shazia Mirza (‘The Khardashians Made Me Do It’), Janice Connolly (‘Phoenix Nights’) and Jo Enright (‘Life’s Too Short’), to name but three. Look them up, go on, I did. I’m not sure if they have dogs, but they certainly don’t invite them on stage during their shows. Seriously, we’re going somewhere with this whole ‘dogs and entertainers’ thing, hang in there.
We’d go on to mention Jasper Carrott, Lenny Henry, Bill Oddie and Tony Hancock too, but, well, while they are (or were in Hancock’s case), rather humorous individuals with Birmingham connections, they weren’t women. No, really. Nor, incidentally, did they perform with their 2-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog (called Bernie) by their sides. As the ant climbing to the top of the pin once said, the point is almost here.
Luisa Omielan, however, does. Appear on stage with her beloved Bernese Mountain Dog Bernie by her side, that is. Which is just as well really, as we’d really strayed from the subject there for a bit. Bernie Winters indeed.
Luisa’s a very funny girl, and she’s from Birmingham, though her extensive time spent living, working and performing in London, may tell a different tale. Still, we’ve done our midlands research, can’t bark out now, can we? Back, can’t back out now. Sorry about the whole ‘bark’ thing, not hilarious in the slightest. Anyway Brummie boys like Bill Oddie and Tony Hancock, are far more interesting than London lads Bob Hope and Sacha Baron Cohen, right? Right.
Recently described by The Guardian as ‘One of the biggest stand-up hits of the decade’, Luisa has just completed a three week series of engagements at Manhattan’s downtown venue The Soho Playhouse, and the recent winner (and first ever comedian recipient) of the ‘BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Award’ brought her mostly hilarious, yet occasionally poignant, views on life, politics, religion, her adored emotional support dog Bernie, and her much-missed mum Helena, to an always appreciative, occasionally curious, Big Apple audience.
Without an agent or a manager, Luisa is a rare comedian and writer of note, doing it her way (with the help of her extraordinarily loyal fanbase), often clinching major victories as she battles her way through the mostly male-oriented world of stand-up comedy. Indeed, it is her fans, whom she credits with having ‘built’ her (her recent NYC trip was crowdfunded by said supporters), with many of her audience traveling extensively to catch a live performance, and perhaps, even see her in her underpants, but more of that in a future paragraph.
It wasn’t easy. Flying 3,000 miles with 55kg of living, breathing gorgeousness that is her darling Bernie (who arrived in Luisa’s world to assist her with her PTSD diagnosis, after her beloved mum passed away two years ago), is always stressful, but necessities often are, aren’t they? Add to that, finding dog-friendly accommodation for a friendly dog, in Manhattan, in such sweltering temperatures, while being one’s own representation and management, well, it could be soul-destroying or it could be character-building. Having met and chatted with Luisa, who is a whirlwind of intelligent chat (mostly her, I just asked questions), informed wit (again, her) and natural curiosity (yep, her again), who clearly appreciates experiencing what New York has offered her, it became quite clear why she’s been welcomed and celebrated by her legions of fans.
Having toured her ‘What Would Beyonce Do?!’ show for five years, playing to sold-out venues around the world, she followed up with a book of the same title, and another touring show (‘Am I Right Ladies?!’), with one of her opening jokes about her ‘thigh gap’ having been viewed over 40 million times online. All those people, as Luisa has pointed out, have now seen her, in her underpants. Some most likely more than once. Some people just love watching funny women perform in their underpants, you see. Note to self, quit using the word ‘underpants’ so much.
‘Politics for Bitches’, took her comedy on a slightly different, increasingly topical route, before her current show, ‘God is a Woman’, arrived in the US. It is a raucous journey through life, at least for ninety minutes or so, with Luisa steering her adoring crowd through a sea of hilarity, albeit being forced to tackle the occasional attack of melancholy observations, most of which, were arrived at due to personal tragedies, which she, perhaps surprisingly, but certainly thoughtfully, shares with her appreciative listeners. All of this is, naturally, accompanied by Bernie, the aforementioned Bernese Mountain Dog, who more often than not, steals a little of the limelight from her pal and ‘mom’, Luisa, as they appear on stage together.
It was in New York’s Central Park, where I met with Luisa for a chat, and chat we did. Besides of course, when passers-by would stop and marvel at Bernie’s sheer wonderfulness. It wasn’t just the Big Apple’s humidity that melted many midtown hearts that day.
Michael Fitzpatrick: So, tell me a little about Bernie.
Luisa Omielan: Bernie is a Bernese Mountain dog. She’s two years old and is about 55 kg. She comes everywhere with me. She sits on stage with me, she comes to work with me, in fact I don’t think there’s anywhere that I go that Bernie doesn’t come.
MF: She sits on stage with you while you’re performing?
LO: Yes, she sits right beside me, actually it’s on stage where she’s always on her best behavior. Everywhere else, she gets a little bit naughty, but on stage she’s perfect. She’s very funny, she’s got really good timing. The audiences love her, she’s actually far more famous than I am. People come along and say; ‘Oh, we only came here to see Bernie, and I’m right, ok, I just work my (butt) off, thanks, but yeah, she gets a lot of love, and she gets annoyed if nobody’s paying attention to her.
MF: So how did she come into your life?
LO: Sadly, two years ago my mum died from cancer, very brutally. She was kind of let down by the NHS, and that hit us very hard. She’d been to the doctors several times, and she was so healthy and looked so good, then eventually when she was sent to the (Emergency Room), it was too late, she had stage four stomach and bowel cancer and she died seven weeks later. So, yes, my mum died quite horribly. So then, instinctively, I don’t know, I’d never had a dog before. I just wanted something, that was, I suppose, the opposite to cancer. Something that was fluffy and ridiculous. When I did see a dog, it was a Bernese Mountain Dog, and I thought, if I was going to have one, it’d be a big, giant one. Of course, if I were to have a dog that size, I’d have to make it work, and make it a part of my lifestyle, so, I said; ‘Sorry Bernie, you’re going to have to come up on stage with me!’.
MF: You’re currently based in Birmingham, a city with a rich comic history. Tony Hancock, Jasper Carrott and many others.
LO: Yeah, Lenny Henry too. I was actually born there, but then I moved down south and I’ve lived in London for a very long time, but have just left there. London is more my home, well. Birmingham is my home too. I don’t know where my home is anymore!
MF: Growing up, was there any one comedic performer whom you particularly admired?
LO: (As a child) I looked up to Whoopi Goldberg, and wanted to emulate her. ‘Sister Act’ and ‘Sister Act 2’, I used to watch all the time from when I was about nine or ten. I enjoyed the sound of making people laugh, and loved her so much, I wanted to be like her.
MF: How’s the UK comedy scene these days?
LO: Well, the live comedy scene is so much better than the TV one. There are so many exciting comics coming through. Good female-driven comedy on TV though, is still very much behind, I wish there were more chances, more risks, taken. Some of the shows are quite dated, so it’s great to see new comics. That’s what I love about America, there seems to be more opportunities for young comics, in particular female ones. I’ve done a lot of successful live shows, a little TV, and, while it’s difficult for everyone starting out, I look at the people with whom I started out with, and the household names now, are usually the male comics, even though the females are trying out new material all the time.
MF: Of those other comics who’d have started out at a similar time to you, do you feel many have given up, or moved on to other creative fields?
LO: Most are still going, but yes, people drop off every year. I feel like dropping off every other year! It’s a very hard career (to make it in).
MF: Are there any US-based comedians whose work you enjoy?
LO: Oh yes, George Carlin, Steve Martin, and I really loved Robin Williams.
MF: You were involved with the acclaimed comedy group, Second City, some years ago too, right?
LO: Yeah, a few years ago, I took a course (with them). It’s different in the UK, there aren’t really schools for comedy, not like the US. I mean, we have drama schools, but it’s very difficult to pursue a career in drama if you can’t afford to get into them. It’s as if, the class structure seeps through everything. In America, there are schools devoted to comedy, like Second City, so I went over there for a few months, and signed up for so many classes, like script-writing, clowning, sitcom writing, I loved it.
MF: How have you found New York audiences?
LO: I really haven’t yet. Most of the people at the shows either already know me, or know about me. There’s been a few New Yorkers I’ve played to, and it’s been fun, and some have come to different shows, but I haven’t played to a whole New York audience yet, hopefully that’ll change. I am very lucky (with my fans), in that some have come from the UK, Israel, Dubai, all over. I performed here a few years ago, but nothing like this. This is all self-produced, I’m doing it without an agent or a manager. It’s all been crowd-funded. I did have a little team here, but it hasn’t really worked out. I did get let down a little bit. It’s been quite expensive, and very frustrating, as it’s such a big risk. It’s hard though. It’s tough in the UK too, but at least I know the scene there.
MF: You’re not represented by management or agents?
LO: No, I do know some, and have great relationships with them, but I think the way I do things, it’s different. I like to have a direct relationship with my fanbase. With me, it’s all about the relationship I have with the audience, so it’s about finding a way for that to work without selling out. It’s a balance, a pain in the arse balance! But a lot of people have sold out, just to get that TV show, but I’m a big believer in trying to make it on your own, to be more authentic to your own voice, and to keep your own content. I’ve been offered panel review shows, but I’ve turned them down.
MF: And live comedy, do you go see other comics, or is that too much like work?
LO: My favorite club in the world is the Top Secret club in Covent Garden in London. It’s the best, a basement club with a low ceiling. It’s crammed full every night, sold out, and the guy who runs it just loves comedy. He just gets it. I don’t really watch comedy though. I see friends perform, but I find it difficult to relax and enjoy it, because I don’t want to be analyzing what they do, so it’s not a nice relaxing night out for me! I work all the time, so everything is so consumed with work, so when I have a night off, I don’t really want to spend it seeing a (friend perform). I just need my brains to turn off for a bit. I do love those serial killer shows though. I watch those, ‘Dexter’ and ‘True Detective’, until the cows come home.
With that, we went our separate ways. I was just another Irish guy riding the New York subway that balmy September afternoon. Luisa Omielan however, was the one with the English accent and the massive Bernese Mountain Dog. As I approached my station, and considered which train I should venture home on, I figured, ‘What Would Beyonce Do?’ Since there was no J, or Z, (sorry), I decided upon the R. Luisa Omielan’s book, ‘What Would Beyonce Do?’, is available on Amazon, and many of her shows, can be viewed on YouTube.
