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Sunday 16th April, 2023
at Komedia, Bath
Zoe has kept herself busy in the last couple of years by having what can best be described as a monumental midlife crisis after turning 50. This involved buying a sports car, having a brief marital separation from her partner of 23 years and running a 100k ultra marathon which really didn’t end well. She even turned her back on her career and started delivering vegetables from a van. Along the way her hair decided the best thing to do was abandon ship. It ain’t easy being a middle aged woman: but try doing it with a combover! Thankfully Zoe has been able to explore the funny side of all these twists and turns. Now it's time to sell the silly car and try and put the wheels back on her life. We chat to Zoe ahead of her Komedia gig, plus there is a chance to win tickets to show...
Hi Zoe, we are looking forward to seeing you at Komedia with your new show ‘Bald Ambition’. Can you tell us a little about the show itself and the themes behind it?
Hi there and yes I am also looking forward to playing Bath again, it’s been a while. This show is a about the period of time between when I last toured and now. Lots has happened. The pandemic certainly changed all our lives for a while and I used the time to squeeze in a rather full on, fun in places, mid-life crisis. It was a challenging period of my life but thank goodness I’m a comic! We live for things like this because even as we are going through it our minds are thinking…. “Well, there is bound to be a show at the end of this!” I honestly think comedians are most uneasy when things are going well in their lives. We thrive on a bit of disturbance because out natural response is to counter act it with humour.
Alopecia is a very sensitive and difficult subject to cover, so has writing the show helped you cope with the condition, or was it mainly to help others, raise awareness and explore the funny side of such a cruel disease?
I really struggled with my alopecia initially, it knocked my confidence massively and there was a time there that I really didn’t want to be on stage, I didn’t want to feel exposed. But I reached a point where I thought I have to take control of this, I have to take my power back and so I started taking about it in my stand up and in social media. It was the best thing that I could have done, it did help to take the sting out of the tail of the condition. It has also connected me to so many brilliant people. Hair loss is still a rather taboo subject and the more we talk about it and share our experiences the easier for everyone it becomes. I’m so glad that I have had the opportunities to raise awareness about the condition.
"Bath has it’s own unique charms. The architecture always has me metaphorically clasping my pearls with delight. I want to look in everyone’s houses. I might try my luck this time and knock a few doors."
This is your first live show since lockdown. How was lockdown for you, and what did you get up to to keep busy.
I was busy! I was mainly preoccupied by dealing with the personal challenges I was going through at the time. I didn’t have the time to bake sourdough. I did find time to run a lot and I started sea dipping, I can’t call it swimming as that would be an exaggeration of the effort I was putting in…. I was a dipper! It was strange not having to travel for work. I was lucky enough to get bits and pieces of things online that kept me ticking over. It was such an interesting period in our lives. Everything was striped away and as we moved back to normality I have been very conscious of not bringing things back into my life that weren’t working for me anymore. I am now happier than I have ever been.
How good is it to be back out on the road with the tour?
I am really enjoying doing this tour for many reasons. It is so lovely to revisit venues I haven’t been to for years. When I was very down about my alopecia I never imagined that I would tour again so it feels great. The audiences have been so much fun and I have support acts with me this time around. Touring can get pretty lonely so have the company of some comedy chums is a delight.
Do you get chance to explore the cities you visit. If so, what are you looking forward to seeing in Bath?
I also seem to arrive for my shows very early and occasionally my venues are in beautiful rural parts of the UK. I like to fill my time by going to wildlife parks… I know that doesn’t exactly sound rock and roll but nothing makes me punch the air with delight like seeing a sign for an Arboretum when I’m on the road. I bloody love looking at trees! Bath has it’s own unique charms. The architecture always has me metaphorically clasping my pearls with delight. I want to look in everyone’s houses. I might try my luck this time and knock a few doors.
I know you recently hit a milestone birthday, and celebrated by running a 100K ultra-marathon. How did that come about and how did you get on?
Turning 50 is a big one for most people and I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t over the hill by trying to run up loads of them. It was an organised run from London to Brighton which you do continuously. It didn’t quite go to plan. I started well but a bit like life the wheels came off halfway. You have to see the show to hear that experience ended.
Didn’t you buy a sports car too?
I wasn’t messing about with this crisis…. I leaned in hard to it and bought not one but two sports cars. I am fully aware now as to how tragic that sounds. But it was fun while it lasted.
Finally, how can readers keep up to date with the tour and all things Zoe Lyons?
You can keep up with everything I am doing from my website zoelyons.co.uk or Instagram on @zoelyonscomedy. But best of all if you see me wondering the streets of Bath looking into people’s homes enviously just come and say hello.
Win
two tickets to see Zoe Lyons at Komedia Bath on Sunday 16th April. For a chance to win, simply click the link below and follow the steps...
Book tickets to see Zoe Lyons at Komedia Bath on Sunday 16th April. Simply click the link below and follow the steps...