A Strange Loop star Larry Owens picks his comedy favourites

American comic Larry Owens – who won a Drama Desk Award for his starring performance in the off-Broadway musical A Strange Loop – brings his new musical comedy show Larry Owens Live to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next week, performing at 8.35pm at Assembly Roxy Upstairs August 2 (Tickets here). Here he shares his Perfect Playlist of comedy favourites…

John Early: Now More Than Ever

It feels like a profound privilege that I can say that I know John Early. Having worked together on the wildest season of Search Party, it’s astounding to see him work.

I was in LA in the weeks leading up to John’s HBO taping so I was able to witness his genius in real time as he chiselled these bits into the diamonds that they are. Seeing it live, the music in the show took this to another level. 

An absolute modern classic.

Catherine Tate

A huge part of my comedic education was British comedy, and at the forefront of that for me has always been Catherine Tate. 

I’m obsessed with her straight acting chops – I literally watched her do Much Ado opposite David Tennant last week– but her sketch comedy is the stuff of legend for me. So many great characters. Nan in particular is a standout, somehow she feels like a woman from East Baltimore to me! Universal! 

Martin

In lieu of sketch comedy, which is actually pretty rare on American television, Martin Lawrence’s 1990s sitcom is forever etched into my brain. 

It’s a peak example of brilliant character writing, physical gags, Martin plays a number of sketch characters inside of the structure of the sitcom. This moment of physical comedy from Tisha Campbell may have been one of my first knee slappers. 

G2BR

It’s getting obscure up in here. This parody YouTube show was popular among Black Twitter about ten years ago. 

Creator Patti Lahelle voice dubs interviews of American music legends in a quasi-Real Housewives type of reality show parody. Something about the writing connects me to the rhythms of descendants of the Great Migration, while also keeping the legacies of these artists in play. The one-liners! I laugh! 

August: Osage County

I’m the type of gal who will put on an archive taping of a Broadway show and squint watching the little ants act their hearts out from the balcony.

I can’t say that I’ve seen the Hollywood film version of August: Osage County, but I watch the play version often. It carries some of the uncomfortable laughter of ‘truth-telling’  that is sometimes encapsulated in my show. I love when it comes from the gut.

 I saw this show in high school on Broadway and later studied at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company with Amy Morton, who was Tony nominated for this show. 

The Gag

Am I cheating? The last film is my own! It’s a musical thriller I directed (and wrote and composed) that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this year. It stars three time Tony-nominee Sherie Rene Scott as the wicked talk show host, Deanie Myers, who gets absolutely rocked by the concept of morality. It’s available in full here.

Published: 28 Jul 2023