After ruling Australian stand up comedy as The Sandman for decades, Steve Abbott has recently announced that he’s got a new set of tricks up his sleeve.
After ruling Australian stand up comedy as The Sandman for decades, Steve Abbott has recently announced that he’s got a new set of tricks up his sleeve. “I am moving behind the scenes and into TV/film writing/producing. It has more dignity than being a 55 year old guy playing a character that is eternally 17.”
Abbott was a natural at comedy from the get-go, starting out as a musician and gradually phasing into comedy without even realising it. “I don’t ever remember becoming a comedian. I played guitar poorly in a band and I started apologising to audiences for my lack of musicianship so that got me talking to audiences, which I guess led to stand-up. I still don’t see myself as a stand-up comedian. I don’t know what I am.”
Downplay it as he may, Abbott is a great many things; he will be performing several musical numbers in his upcoming farewell show, is an accomplished writer, and has appeared in several movies and television programs.
Reminiscing over his long run as The Sandman, Abbott shares a peek into one of his favourite stage moments: “Oddly enough, my favourite sandman moment was probably a terrible show at Wentworthville Leagues Club in Sydney. I went on at 12.45am to about 100 drunk people in a 400 seat room. I don’t think I even got started before the audience started booing me and telling me to get lost. One guy approached the stage offered me twenty bucks to get a cab and piss off. To my credit, I said, ‘It costs more than twenty bucks to get from Wentworthville to Bondi in a cab.’ Since I had to do 15 minutes to get paid I simply said to the crowd, ‘I have to do 15 minutes.’ I lay down on stage until the time was up then said goodnight and walked off. I kept the guy’s twenty.”
It’s a rare thing to find a performer uninhibited enough to pull off a stunt like this without the halfway-through chicken out, and it’s what has made Abbott’s act a priceless, classic one. The 17-year-old boy we know and love as The Sandman will be sorely missed. Abbott himself admits that it will be difficult to completely part with The Sandman. “When you play a character for 34 years he never leaves. I can stay in character 24 hours if I have to. I still might do radio stuff but there will be no more live shows. In Adelaide recently it was touching to see people in the audience have such an attachment to Sandman.”
The Sandman performs Exit The Sandman at Melbourne Town Hall’s Portico Room from March 31 – April 24. It’s at 7pm Tuesday – Saturday and 6pm on Sundays. Tickets are $16 – $29.90 and available through Ticketmaster online, 1300 660 013 and at the door.
