A work in progress: Comedy screening comes to Birmingham this weekend
In the 1980s and 1990s, Anthony Irvine was a comedian and cabaret performer. His act was a little unusual, as "the Iceman," he went on stage… to melt ice. A film is now being made about his strange life, fronted by top comedians Jo Brand, Robin Ince, Simon Munnery, Neil Mullarkey, and Sollihul's own Stewart Lee. A work in progress of the film is being screened on Saturday, 24 August at Birmingham's Mockingbird Cinema.
Literally, Anthony Irvine would take a large block of ice onto the stage then proceed to melt it (or fail to melt it) in a variety of creative ways. Among his fans were Mike Myers, Jo Brand and Bill Bailey.
In 2010, when Black Country born Robert Wringham wrote his book about this era of comedy, the Iceman could not be found. But a couple of years later, Anthony Irvine popped up again. This time as a visual artist called aim. What was going on?
Wringham writes: "How much permanence and success can we assure for this man whose entire act was about impermanence and failure? Come along to the beautiful Mockingbird Cinema in Digbeth to see our WIP (work in progress) to find out.
"We'll be presenting some of our never-before-seen footage featuring the Iceman, Stewart Lee, Ronni Ancona, Jo Brand and the rest of our all-star cast, followed by a live talk and Q&A"
The Q&A is with director Mark Cartwright and writer Robert Wringham to tell you about "our strange journey so far."
The film's executive producer is Michael Cumming, director of Brass Eye, Toast of London and Birmingham-set King Rocker.
"Despite the big names," says Wringham, "Our film is being made with love and zero budget. 100 per cent of ticket sales will go towards finishing the film."
By Robert Wringham - Contributor
