Today, via our e-bulletin,
it gave us great pleasure to finally divulge to everyone that the
host for Slapstick Festival’s Tenth Silent Comedy gala will be none
other than Mr. Omid (drum roll) Djalili (end drum roll, cue much
applause & cheering). (Pause to catch breath)… Right, now
you’ve taken that news in we can tell you a bit about Omid. The
most important thing about Omid (even more important than things
like that he’s a much loved stand up comedian & a star of
many a Hollywood film (Gladiator, Notting Hill, Pirates of the
Caribbean)) is that he’s a huge Chaplin fan - a qualification we
considered vital when we were looking for this years host. Here’s a
quote from the man himself qualifying that:
“I’m
honoured to be invited to host the Slapstick festival gala. I’m a
huge fan of silent screen comedy and of those early comics who
brought it to the screen. It’s a particular treat to be introducing
a Charlie Chaplin tribute in the centenary of his debut as the
little tramp. ‘City Lights’ is a true masterpiece of comic cinema
and when I heard it was being accompanied with Chaplin’s original
score and a 39 piece orchestra, I couldn’t say
no”.
The news has also appeared in the local
press. This Is Somerset were the first to run
with it & later today you’ll be able to buy a
copy of the Bristol Evening Post (BEP) in which Omid relates a
hilarious tale of his first ever stand up gig when he ended up in
front of a packed audience with blood dripping from his head and
his underpants showing! He concluded the story saying:
“Everyone was in hysterics. A week later, my
friend told me there was this ‘new Charlie Chaplin-style’ act
around town. ‘Who’s that?’ I asked. ‘You’ he said. And that’s how I
started in comedy.”
As you all know from our
last
post on here this year’s festival will be the first in a
series of global events marking the centenary of Charlie Chaplin’s
best-loved character, the Tramp, and it will include a screening of
the 1931 feature City Lights, accompanied live by a 39-piece
orchestra. About Chaplin Omid told the BEP:
“Chaplin is a long-standing hero of mine and it’s
a particular treat to be introducing a Charlie Chaplin tribute in
the centenary of his debut as the little tramp,” said Omid. “City
Lights is a true masterpiece of comic cinema and when I heard it
was being accompanied with Chaplin’s original score and a 39-piece
orchestra, I couldn’t say no.”
Our own Chris
Daniels (Director of Slapstick Festival) said about the
announcement:
“We’re absolutely thrilled that
Omid Djalili is coming to Bristol to launch both our tenth birthday
festival and the world’s centenary salute to one of cinema’s most
iconic figures. “Omid is not only a talented and popular performer
but he is a genuine fan of silent film comedy and particular
admirer of Chaplin.”
The Slapstick Festival is
running from Friday, January 24 to Sunday, January 26 2014. To buy
tickets directly either head on over to Colston Hall’s
website: colstonhall.org/shows/silent-comedy-gala, give
them a call on 0844 887 1500 or drop into their box office on
Colston St. If you haven’t already signed up for the festival
newsletter, officially the fastest place to hear news about the
festival, you can do so by dropping your email address off here:
mad.ly/signups/74303/join. Today’s
newsletter is archived online so if you’d like to read it (and also
catch up on lots of other silent comedy news from around Bristol)
you can here: mad.ly/e10d04. The
official Slapstick Festival website can be found here: slapstick.org.uk.
