Emmanuel Sonubi: ‘I nearly died on stage. Suddenly, it wasn’t a big deal to have a bad gig’

6 hours ago 3

What’s your new show about?
My biggest fear was dying on stage and then I nearly died for real, on stage. Suddenly, it wasn’t a big deal to have a bad gig or tell a joke that doesn’t work. Going through heart failure changed my perspective. We all know we’re going to die, but none of us believe it. That’s why we do stupid stuff like bungee jumping. We take so many risks. But when you’re actually faced with your own mortality and get a second chance, everything suddenly feels like a bonus – all the things I would have missed. This show is a lot more honest than I’ve ever been.

What was difficult about turning such a personal experience into comedy?
Being able to say it out loud without breaking. Even though this happened five years ago, a lot of what’s in the show has taken me that long to process to the point where I can actually talk about it on stage. It doesn’t necessarily get easier, it just becomes more necessary. When I previewed it, people really connected with certain parts, things hit home.

How did you get into comedy?
It was through a friend of mine who used to attend the dance class I taught at Pineapple Studios. She was given a comedy course for her birthday and I went to watch her perform at the Comedy Pub in central London. After a couple of drinks, she convinced me I should go and do an open mic night. From the first joke I told, I thought: “Yeah, this is me.”

What’s been one of your all-time favourite gigs?
The first time I did Live at the Apollo, because that was the goal. When everyone asked what I wanted to do, I told them: Live at the Apollo, within five years of starting comedy. A lot of people told me I couldn’t do it. I did it in six years, but that’s including the pandemic.

Can you recall a gig so bad, it’s now funny?
During lockdown Jason Manford started organising Zoom gigs to help comedians get work. It was one of the first ones; 2,000 people on this Zoom call. I’m nervous anyway, but before I’ve got a chance to overthink it, I hear him say, “And welcome to the stage … Emmanuel Sonubi.” I started my set and everyone’s really laughing. I’m thinking, “Wow, maybe I’m really good at Zoom gigs.” Then my watch started buzzing so much that I needed to glance down. It was Jason: “Turn your mic on, mate.” I’d been going for three or four minutes!

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Tell us about a memorable heckle
A guy at the back screamed out: “Are you that guy from The Green Mile?” The way he said it, and the way the crowd took it, just sucked all the energy out of the room. In a split second I decided to bring everyone back in the room and make a joke out of it. So I said: “Mate, I look nothing like Tom Hanks.” And the room just exploded.

You’ve gigged on cruise ships – what’s the best part?
Not travelling everywhere. Even though the ship does obviously travel, I’m not having to sit on the M4! It’s a week’s worth of gigs, where you don’t have to drive up and down the country. You get a real test of whether your material works because one I did recently had an average age of 76, and it was a mixture of American and English people. If you can get it to work there, it works in the clubs.

Any pre-show rituals?
I go to the toilet about 12 or 15 times. I try to always watch the audience, just to get a sense of who’s in the room because I never actually plan my set until I’m about to walk on stage. I want to keep it as natural as I can.