Glynn Nicholas
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Glynn Nicholas (b. 16 October 1952, Bristol, England) is an Australian comedy performer, writer and producer. He works as a stand-up comedian, mime artist, character actor and musician.
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[edit] Busking
Glynn Nicholas began as a busker while touring Europe in 1977. His act of singing and playing up to three instruments at the same time, soon developed to focus on mime and audience participation. He brought his act home to Adelaide, Australia and became renown locally for the large crowds he entertained in the central shopping precinct, Rundle Mall, which had recently been closed to traffic.[1]. In 1982, he studied mime and circus skills at San Francisco's Hayward College and performed regularly at Pier 39. In 1986 he was crowned national champion at the Australian busking championships.
[edit] Early career: television
Nicholas first appeared on Australian television as a presenter on Channel 9's children's show Here's Humphrey performing songs, dances, stories and games with a large pant-less mute bear. And in 1990 he was nominated for an ARIA award for best children's album.
Off air he developed a character called Pate Biscuit a parody of another presenter on the program Patsy Biscoe. He mimicked her distinctive bob haircut, sing-song voice and 'school-prefect' manner but added cruelty, blood and a naughty hand puppet called Bongo to the juvenile story-telling. In 1989 Pate Biscuit found a ready audience on the ABC's new comedy show The Big Gig, where Nicholas had a regular spot. In 1990 he took over the role as host from Wendy Harmer for two seasons.
In 1991 Angus and Robertson published his book Bedtime Stories with Pate Biscuit, which sold 18,000 copies.
In 1996 Nicholas co-produced a ten part comedy series with the ABC, The Glynn Nicholas Show. It was written by Nicholas and fellow Australian comedian Shaun Micallef but a second series was never made.
[edit] Later career: theatre
Since 1992 Nicholas has focussed on live comedy, writing and performing in several live shows ranging from the solo Glynn with a why? and Crossing the Line, to ensemble pieces like Scat and all that and the often reprised Certified Male written with his regular artistic collaborator Scott Rankin.
Other writing credits include Kissing Frogs (1996) and Leaves Falling at Midnight (2001).[2]
He has also turned his hand to Shakespeare for the Melbourne Theatre Company's production of Comedy Of Errors, opera in Pirates of Penzance (1994), and variety with The Vaudeville Extravaganza (1994) and Oh Come All Ye Stressful (2005).
In the 2000s his Glynn Nochols Group entertainment company was producing and touring several shows internationally including Certified Male, and the musical Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision directed by Nicholas, which was the top-selling show of the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was named the best musical production at the inaugural Music Theatre Matters awards.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Nicholas is energetic, wicked and talented. His crowds bring the mall to a standstill." The Advertiser (Adelaide)
- ^ www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsN/nichols-glynn.html
- ^ edfringe.com : official site of the edinburgh festival fringe
