You might need to go and see Alan McElroy’s show Wingin’ It more than once, because the creative, quick-thinking comedian does just that: wings it. Every show will be totally different, because McElroy’s background as an MC, along with his fast-talking Irish charm, means that he’s found his comedic strength in ad-libbing off the crowd instead of writing a script.
“I love bantering with the crowd. I was at Edinburgh Fringe and a lot of comedians were doing sad shows about depression et cetera, and I was just out of a marriage so I thought that was the way to go,” says McElroy. “But when I got back home to Auckland, I was talking to the manager of the comedy club and she was shaking her head and telling me to do what I did on stage there. I had spent 20 minutes on stage making people laugh without going anywhere near my material… it was a lot fun and she was right.”
McElroy attributes his skills in quick banter to his short attention span, knowing a scripted show would not only bore him but mean a lesser delivery for the audience, night after night. “If I banter with them, it’s organic which means more laughter!”
McElroy was also wary of writing a sad show about his divorce that would mean reliving a painful memory every night that he performed his show.
It’s been five years since his last Melbourne International Comedy Festival foray, and the Irish-New Zealander says that he wants to come back every year, having not spotted “a single arsehole so far”.
That’s high praise from such a well-travelled man. McElroy moved from his home country of Ireland to NZ eight years ago and has since cemented himself on kiwi television, having had cameos and MC duties on a number of prime time shows.
He’s well known at the Dunedin Fringe, and his combination of fast Irish cheek and laid back kiwi cool has garnered him a reputation as the person you go see if you want pure entertainment with “no chance of getting bored.”
There was a transition period though, where McElroy had to adapt his material from the Irish comedy scene to the New Zealand.
“Irish audiences make a night of comedy – they’ll meet friends before the show in the pub, have a few drinks, laugh a lot and continue the night after. Some audiences in NZ are known to be a little more reserved and low key. I have had to slow down my delivery, because in Ireland I spoke so fast.”
He’s also had to cut out some of the darker humour and sarcasm that just doesn’t play quite as well for a kiwi crowd. Mostly, McElroy just gets distracted from his planned material.
“There was a funny argument between an old couple while I was getting on a plane to Dunedin and they ended up in the audience that night so that became the show, it was amazing and everyone loved it.”
