Comedy fans in Ottawa will soon have a chance to revisit a nineties classic.
The sketch comedy show Kids in the Hall was renowned for bringing absurdist humour and unrepentant Can-Con to the world. The Kids in the Hall will be bringing their live show to the NAC on May 24th. Apt613 spoke with Mark McKinney, who you may know better as the Chicken Lady, about life on tour, growing up in Ottawa, and his new show, Superstore, which will be airing on NBC.
Apt613: How has the tour been going so far?
Mark McKinney: It’s been great! We just played in Orlando to a great crowd, and we’re on our way to Detroit.
What cities or venues are you most looking forward to playing?
Ottawa, of course!
Good answer! Where else?
In LA, we will be performing at this amazing jewelbox of an art deco theatre, at the Ace Hotel, I’m really looking forward to that.
How do you maintain a normal life while dealing with the demands of touring?
I was worried it would be a grind, but the schedule has been great. You have a good chunk of time before the show to, you know, work out or get your nails done, and then you can hang out as much as you want after the show.
I gather that for the tour you are doing a mix of classic sketches and new material. How did you select or curate what would play well on stage as opposed to on television, and what would play well in 2015?
We’ve really enjoyed revisiting the early stuff, but you don’t want it to be ossified; you want new laughs, not the memories of old laughs. We’ve done a lot of work to refine the show, and it took a while to get the energy of the ending just right. Now I feel like we’re doing well not just at performing the sketches but at performing the show.
What’s it like working with the people you’ve worked with for so long?
We work really well together, it’s like one brain.
You are from Ottawa originally, what were your experiences living there as a kid?
I only lived there for the first four years of my life, initially, because my dad was a diplomat.
When we moved back, I really enjoyed Lisgar, I went there after going to an all-boys school, and I nearly lost my mind! The Towne cinema was where I’d go to see all the cult classics. [Note: The Towne theatre was on Beechwood, in New Edinburgh. The Bytowne Cinema was named in honour of the Towne cinema plus Ottawa’s nickname of Bytown]
From Twitter.
The Ottawa Little Theatre was also the site of my first rejection, I didn’t get the part.
What was the part?
I don’t remember, I just know I failed the dancing test!
What is your impression of Ottawa as a city?
It’s a really nice city, and it’s changed a lot. I’m not sure how it would be if you were, say, 18, but the food scene is great. Skating on the canal is great. My mom bought a place near Beechwood, with great views of the river and the old City Hall, so that’s a great place.
You’re also working on a show, Superstore, for NBC, how has that been?
It’s been great. I had read the script and I knew the writers were good, but I was so impressed when we all got together and read the script. Scott and I also got our pilots picked up on the same day. It was the time of year when you find out whether or not your pilot is going ahead, and you know, usually the answer is “no”, but I found out about Superstore around 5pm, and then Scott found out about his after the show that night.
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk!
One other thing I wanted to mention was to put in a quick plug for the “Vrooman for Senate” campaign, they’re my friends and I support them. [Scott Vrooman, a writer and comedian, announced his campaign to run for the Canadian senate, whose members are notably appointed rather than elected, to protest the undemocratic nature of the Senate.]
The Kids in the Hall are at The National Arts Centre on May 24, 2015 at 8pm. Tickets start at $50 and are available here.
