Art and Scene
He will be on the Madeleine stage in Brussels for the last performance of his show So British (or almost) in Belgium.
Paul Taylor took a daring bet when he launched into stand-up a few years ago: to offer a show in French… but also in English. A hell of a challenge when you know the talent of French speakers for the language of Shakespeare. ” It was a real debate at the beginning when I tell people about it. Either they told me that it was a really good idea, that it was unique, that no one had ever done that, so it could be cool. Either they said to me “well you’re stupid, the French don’t know how to speak English, so it will split your audience” », Confides us the comedian. And judging by the packed theaters, we can only say that he made the right choice. ” There are obviously enough people who understand English well enough to understand the show, because in real life my English is not very complicated either. It is spoken and accessible English. “
With his supercharged attitude and his attached personality, this English comedian very quickly made his place in the French humor scene. With his video of “la bise”, the absurdity of this custom which is dear to us, he created a buzz and quickly made himself known. ” Like many stand-ups, on tells the story of life from our point of view. I was lucky because the video blew up, so the first show was sold out right away from the first date until the last. The second show started not long after the first one, which also helped fill up. “
In his shows, Paul Taylor talks about his life as an Englishman living in France. Having grown up until he was 9 years old with our neighbors, he speaks French without any accent. A quality that he sometimes finds in embarrassment, as when he finds himself in a DIY store and he does not know the word “tiles”. Situations of everyday life that he likes to tell and make fun of. “ There is always a basis of truth. After that, of course, there are things that are exaggerated. This is the basis of stand-up: it’s taking real life situations and then exaggerating them. »This is particularly the case of a sentence in his show So British (or almost), which comes up quite often: ” I’m not worried, but I’m not comfortable “. ” This is a real sentence that the obstetrician really put out during the ultrasound. “
Overcome Brexit
Born to an English father and an Irish mother, and having grown up in Switzerland and France during his childhood, Paul Taylor is forged in a multicultural society. ” When we are exposed to different languages and cultures, it inevitably changes something in us, in our way of growing up and in our vision of the world. It is incredible luck. It opens a door for you to culture, inclusion, tolerance. Which is much more interesting than if you are grandiose in a small village in England and stay there all your life. And that we see everything that is foreign as a threat to our work, to our values, to our cultures … “
At the start of his show, Paul Taylor asks if there are any spectators from another country. ” I think it’s cool because at the start of the show, it puts everyone on the same page. Often, everyone comes with their preconceptions of the people around them, and afterwards, I think everyone says to themselves “ah cool, there are lots of people from different places”. It expands people. “
And when Britain votes in favor of Brexit, the comedian takes a massive blow. ” I find that just stupid. This is the opportunity that has been taken away from many young people, a whole generation that will not have the chance to experience what I have experienced in any case. I find that a shame. That doesn’t mean they can’t travel anymore, but it will be more difficult administratively speaking. A decision which affects him all the more since being married to a Frenchwoman, they cannot return to live in England with their little daughter Louise. ” Even if you are married to a Briton, you still have to meet some hiring criteria. Which is complicated, since she works with me. “
The comedian will still return to England to play the last date of his show on January 28. “ The idea is to capture the last date of the show in London. It can be cool to tell a story where I go back to London to, in fact, play in front of Parisians (laughs). I am not at all famous in the UK. »To see him one last time in Belgium before his new show (which should take one or two years), you will have to come to La Madeleine, in Brussels, on Thursday, November 7. Hurry, there are not many places left!