This is the perfect moment to look back on my life in anticipation of the next fifty years. —John Cleese
There can only be one Minister of Silly Walks: John Cleese. As with all comic geniuses, a mere mention of his gags—like the attempt to return a dead parrot to a pet store—brings a smile to our lips every time. In the late 1960s, Cleese, one of contemporary comedy’s most popular and influential performers, co-founded Monty Python, the group responsible for the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus, and never looked back. His knack for madcap buffoonery played completely straight—like his ultraviolent Lancelot in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail—catapulted him onto the shortlist of funniest men alive. Cleese followed his Python work with a hugely successful turn as the neurotic hotel manager Basil Fawlty in the British comedy Fawlty Towers, which in 2000 topped the British Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Television Programs, as well as his starring role in the classic film comedy A Fish Called Wanda. He continues to hone his craft in movies and TV.
Tonight, in an interview with NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday” host Scott Simon, he shares the stories behind his success, one laugh at a time.
Please note: The ticket price includes a copy of Cleese’s new memoir So, Anyway (Crown Archetype).
