In less than a decade Maeve Higgins has carved out an impressive catalogue of comedy. From co-writing and acting in the RTÉ hit series Naked Camera, to donning an apron in order to offer a unique take on the cooking show genre in Fancy Vittles (where she discovers the joy of making food analogies about just about everything), it’s a case of been there, done that. She’s also graced festival stages from Edinburgh to Adelaide and back home to Ireland with her quirky brand of stand-up. Now she’s gone and written a book and, armed with this material, is about to unleash a new live show.
The Cobh woman tells Hot Press she’s looking forward to hitting the circuit: “I’ve been doing gigs here and there. I’m going to do proper theatre shows. It’s new stand-up and readings from my book as well. I’ll keep my top on the whole time! It’s going to be classic Hig-bomb.”
Her book, already a bestseller, is a collection of essays about the weird and wonderful things that have happened to her over the years. We Have A Good Time... Don’t We? is full of witty everyday observations and anecdotes from, in her words, a ‘regular human girl’. She spent six months in her room, working like a robot.
“I think you have to do that if you’re trying to do something good. It has to be that way. I didn’t see my friends. It was pretty hardcore. I’m really glad I did it. I’m pleased with the book and glad it’s making people laugh, even if that sounds cheesy!”
There’s an ongoing debate about women in comedy, with many believing it’s a ‘man’s game’. In Ireland we have Pauline McLynn, Katherine Lynch and Deirdre O’Kane and others. However it’s something Maeve doesn’t like to be questioned on.
“It baffles me. I just did a radio interview there where I was asked about ‘comedy from the female perspective’. The presenter asked me if I was ‘Ireland’s only female comedian’. I was like, ‘No, I’m not’. It’s bullshit.”
Maeve’s earliest foray into stand-up was in 2004 when she auditioned for the Ray D’arcy Show on Today FM: “I did really badly! It was my first time trying anything like that. I had a compulsion to give it a go.”
Not one to be disheartened, she started attending open-mic nights including a spot in Dublin’s comedy epicentre, the International Bar on Wicklow Street. It built up from there.
Then, in 2005, she got involved in RTÉ’s wind the public up show, Naked Camera. Here she came to prominence as the desperate bride, trying to coax innocent passers-by into marrying her.
“That was nerve-wracking. I would crack up when I was watching the rest of them doing their sketches. It was hard not to laugh because we’d be around the corner with earphones on. When you’re listening to PJ it’s really hard not to laugh! For my bits, I was nervous and simply wanted to get it done. I didn’t ever feel like laughing, I felt sick.”
Maeve’s next series was rather more wholesome, the cookery and comedy show Fancy Vittles. It became a cult hit and also starred Higgins’ sister Lilly. Maeve calls it her best work to date, but is vague as to future plans for the franchise.
“I think after the tour I’ll maybe get married and stop working,” she quips.
Maeve brings We Have A Good Time... Don’t We? to Mermaid, Bray (November 14); Firkin Crane, Cork (16); Hawkswell, Sligo (24); Smock Alley, Dublin (25); Taibhdhearc, Galway (December 14), and Draoicht, Blanchardstown (15).
