Eyeballing for Laughs

New Zealand award-winning comedian Sam Wills, 32, has drawn comparisons with Harpo Marx and Mr Bean, “though he is grungier and livelier than both” according to the Guardian’s Brian Logan who interviews Wills about his latest show The Boy With Tape on His Face, “a latterday Buster Keaton with a strip of duct tape covering his mouth.” His shows unfold as a series of interactive stunts, as stooges from the crowd are manoeuvred into curious activity to the sound of 80s and 90s pop. It’s funny because Wills, all impotent silence and gawping dismay, makes an unthreatening ringmaster: the audience participation feels safe. “Anyone who comes on stage will still leave an absolute hero,” he says. “The goal was always to make a show that had the audience entertaining themselves.” And it’s funny because Wills has to orchestrate the entire event through eye contact alone. Wills is currently touring the UK. He lives in London.