When answering a predictable question during this interview, Los Angeles comedian Miles Allen easily breaks into his favourite Breaking Bad character, getting Jesse Pinkman’s nuances to the tee. “Jesse, I would argue, towards the end of the series, becomes a more relatable protagonist than Walter,” explains Allen. “Walter devolved into this alter ego, drug lord Heisenberg. Jesse becomes a whole lot relatable and human to his audience. I really related to Jesse on a lot of levels.”
The impression is a taste, if you will, of his upcoming performance. This evening, you’re in for a double treat (if you love Vince Gilligan’s magnum opus) when Allen takes the stage to perform One Man Breaking Bad — The Unauthorised Parody . It’s stand-up plus nostalgia hitting you in the face. The one-hour performance truncates all five seasons of the critically acclaimed television series into a hilarious impression fest.
Most of us have loved Breaking Bad , it’s arguably the best TV show ever made. To list its brilliance, would deviate from this story though. So we’ll refrain. Allen, however, loves it too.
So much so, that he made a show about it and toured the world. The first time the comedian realised he’s got gold, was when his seemingly innocent YouTube video hit a million hits and went viral. In it, Allen is a homeless man doing impressions in exchange for food. Most of them are Breaking Bad characters, including the Whites’ cerebral palsy afflicted son, Walter Jr, whose raspy, mouth-stretching lines (a result of his illness) are hilarious, albeit in an evil way.
Despite Breaking Bad being a drama, Allen deftly uses the show’s dark humour to infuse comedy in his set.
“Saul Goodman is a comic relief character,” explains Allen. “Or even things that weren’t expected to be funny like Walter Jr. always having breakfast.” Or Walter’s sister-in-law Marie’s obsession with the colour purple.
“All these crazy unique elements. I could bring them out and exploit them for comedic purposes and it was a very fun task. I didn’t want to just do a quick one hour break down of Breaking Bad . I wanted to give a humorous approach to that. I wanted the audience to relive it without needing antidepressants at the end.”
A year and a half in conception, Allen’s show has been only just perfected this August. It’s at a “point where I don’t want to deviate from it,” he says. “The Indian audience is getting the best of the best.” And, “There will be different celebrities that I will pick on.” Hold on to your lids, Shahrukh Khan fans.
But if you’re not, (much to this writer’s dismay) a Breaking Bad fan, you still will enjoy Allen’s gimmicks. He guarantees. “I’ve had so many people come up to me after shows and say, ‘That was brilliant, I’ve never seen Breaking Bad , but because of your show I’m going to start watching it’. I guess I would have preferred the reverse, but if that gets people to watch the show, I’m alright.”
One Man Breaking Bad, tonight at 10:30pm at Canvas Laugh Club. Tickets available on www.insider.in
It’s stand-up plus nostalgia hitting you in the face. Allen deftly uses the show’s dark humour to infuse comedy
