High On Laughter Ltd presents

When comedy legend Jerry Lewis collapsed last autumn in the wings of The
London Palladium at a charity benefit, he left comedian/producer Steven Alan Green
with a bill for £40,000 – and almost cost him his sanity.

Steven smelled a rat. Did Jerry fall or fake it? Should he sue one of his
comedy heroes or just walk away and lick his wounds? Instead he decided to bare
his angst on stage with the bitingly funny...

“I EAT PEOPLE LIKE YOU FOR BREAKFAST!”

An epic comedy David v Goliath clash, Steven Alan Green lifts the lid on the
tantrums and tears, outrageous demands and rampant paranoia  leading up to the
heart-stopping moment Jerry collapsed as he was about to go receive a lifetime achievement
award.

“Out the corner of my eye I saw Jerry sort of lean ... and fall. An ambulance
was called. Jerry was carried out on a stretcher, given oxygen. I watched the
ambulance go. And I thought, ‘Have I killed Jerry Lewis? Have I reunited
Lewis with Dean Martin?’ The ambulance took Jerry back to his hotel. Jerry flew
back to America I tried to reach Jerry. But I never spoke to Jerry again...
“Hey, Jerry. Did you fall? Or did you fake it? And if you did fake it, Jerry, why
did you fake it? Because you were angry with me? Because you were scared?
Because you thought you weren't funny? Because you thought we wouldn't love you?”

“I Eat People Like You For Breakfast!” give a fascinating insight into
Jerry’s collapse, but it also traces Steven Alan Green’s journey from a painful
childhood in celebrity infested Beverly Hills to his adventures over 10 years  at
The Comedy Store in LA, alongside the likes of Robin Williams, Martin Short,
Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, Sam Kinison, Roseanne Barr, Rodney Dangerfield, Andy
Kaufman and Richard Pryor.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Kevin Wilson @ KWPR
187 DRURY LANE LONDON
WC2B 5QD
tel: 020 7430 2060
fax: 020 7430 0364
www.kwpr.co.uk

Scotsman Preview (PDF)      What's On Preview (PDF)

The Post Fringe Report

Steven Alan Green’s report from the Fringe:

 

Maybe it’s cosmic irony, or not.   But, to produce and perform a show about producing a show which went pear-shaped is nothing less than challenging the gods of irony to the point of making them throw their hands in the air, going, “Oye Vey!”

 

Like producing High On Laughter III at the London Palladium, and bringing over and dealing with Jerry Lewis during that show, producing and performing “I Eat People Like You for Breakfast!” was both an exceptional experience as well as a frustrating one.

 

Frustrating in that, like many Fringe shows, it was often hard to get punters to come.  And sometimes those who did were either drunk, uninterested or worse – never heard of Jerry Lewis!  (I imagine they never heard of me either!)  The first half of the run I was in a great new venue (the Gilded Balloon “The Venue”) which normally is a top nightclub in Edinburgh.  Great time: 8:30pm.  However, during the Fringe, it was one of hundreds of venues.  After often performing for one person a night for a week, Karen Koren was lovely enough to give me a spot at the main Gilded Balloon venue, Teviot Row.  Unfortunately, it was at midnight and I often bumped heads with those heading to the legendary rowdy comedy show, “Late ‘N Live”.  Having said that, I did have some great audiences and the run really gave me a chance to work out the kinks (not to mention The Beatles and The Stones).  In the end, I garnered some great reviews, especially one from the famously “hard nosed” Kate Copstick, who loved it. 

 

Since Edinburgh, I’ve done the show in Los Angeles and am looking to take it to New York next. 

 

I want to thank the following people:  My director, John Dowie; Kevin and Mark at KWPR; Steve Ullathorne for the wonderful “egg face” poster; Euan McKenzie for his relentless leafleting,; Diabolical Liberties, Rock at WarPro for the digital projector; General Tech Stodge and my tech at the venue; Tamsin Hollo, Pippa Hinchley Andrew J. Lederer and Kim Slater for sympathy and support; Frazer Smith at the PR office of the Balloon, all those in the office at the Gilded Balloon for their warmth and support, and especially Karen Koren for giving me the opportunity and the honor of performing for the first time at the Gilded Balloon.  And, of course, thank you to Jerry Lewis who over a year and a half ago, said to me, “I Eat People Like YOU for Breakfast!”

 

Steven Alan Green

January 8, 2004

London