Matt Roper
Matt Roper in New York City, 2019
Born20 May 1977 (1977-05-20) (age 46)
Cheshire, England
MediumCharacter comedy,
Alter egos, Stand up, Satire
NationalityBritish
Years active1997–present
Notable works and rolesWilfredo

The Greatest Show on Legs

I'll Say She Is: The Lost Marx Brothers Musical

Matt Roper is a British comedian, writer and musician.

Career

Roper made his comedy debut in London during the late-1990s and is noted for his early work in sketch comedy at the Jermyn Street Theatre and in the satirical sketch show Newsrevue at the Canal Café Theatre.

He first gained prominence with his creation of Wilfredo, a grotesque satire of a Mediterranean romantic singer that has divided critics, leading them to proclaim him as "strangely endearing",[1] "utterly charming and uplifting",[2] "unlikeable",[3] "inappropriate"[4] and "a genius creation".[4] The character is notoriously ill-mannered; frequently salivating onstage, drinking and smoking his way throughout songs, while berating his musicians and audience members with insults and expletives.[5][6]

With Wilfredo and his band, Roper toured the British summer festival circuit, counting the Glastonbury Festival[7][8][9] among his successes on several occasions. In July 2010 Wilfredo became the surprise hit of the Port Eliot Festival, appearing onstage with Jarvis Cocker.[10] Roper has presented the character at the Café de Paris, the Tobacco Factory in Bristol, Brighton Komedia and at London's Leicester Square Theatre. He has toured the character to festivals worldwide, giving performances in Australia, Argentina, the Philippines, the United States,[11][12] South Africa,[13] and across Europe.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

In June 2011, Wilfredo appeared in the first series of Rufus Hound's What's So Funny? for BBC Radio 7 (now BBC Radio 4 Extra),[21] recorded the Christmas Day edition of The Comedy Club Interviews for the same channel later that year[22] in addition to making an appearance on Arthur Smith's Pissed Up Chat Show at the E4 Udderbelly at the Southbank Centre.

With comedian Pippa Evans under the guise of Loretta Maine, Roper co-wrote and recorded the song 'Happy Goddamn Christmas', released on 1 December 2012, peaking at No. 6 on the iTunes UK Comedy Charts.[23] An accompanying video was released via BBC Three featuring cameos by Arthur Smith, Imran Yusuf, Ruth Bratt, and Thom Tuck.[24] Also with Evans, he co-wrote and recorded the single 'Peace All Over The World (At Christmas Time)', released 8 December 2014 and reportedly banned by BBC Radio 2 who were "worried that sensitive listeners would be offended".[25]

Roper played both God and the Devil, in Terry Newman's political satire Lucifer: My Part in the New Labour Project (And How I Invented Coalition Government) in London and for the Brighton Festival in May 2011.[26]

In September 2014, he joined the line-up of the surreal sketch comedy group The Greatest Show on Legs, debuting in Leipzig, Germany.[27]

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Roper has presented three feature length solo shows, Wilfredo: Erecto! (2011), The Wonderful World of Wilfredo (2012) and Wilfredo: Deconstructed (2014). Drawing positive comments and reviews in the press, Wilfredo was described by the Guardian newspaper as "weird, intimate and wonderful"[28] and by Time Out as "an extraordinary creation who cuts a hacking, spluttering, beer dribbling figure upon the stage".[29] The comedy industry website Chortle observed the character as "cantankerous, often lecherous and almost certainly consumptive, coughing and burping his way through the set, at one point hacking up phlegm like a horse chewing a toffee."[30]

At the 2012 Edinburgh Festival, Roper appeared opposite Phil Nichol in a one-off performance at the Traverse Theatre for Theatre Uncut's season of radical playlets, playing an advertising executive representing a global corporation in Indulge by the Icelandic playwright Andri Snaer Magnuson.[31]

In 2015, Roper accepted the Malcolm Hardee Award for Cunning Stunt of the Year, awarded to a group or individual annually for performing elaborate publicity stunts to promote their festival appearance. He had gained access to a social media account belonging to Kate Copstick, head comedy critic of the influential Scotsman newspaper, writing a glowing review of his talents under her name.[32][33]

New York Theatre

On 14 April 2016, it was announced that Roper was to play Chico Marx, eldest of the Marx Brothers, in I'll Say She Is: The Lost Marx Brothers Musical, opening Off-Broadway at the Connelly Theater in New York City.[34] The show opened on 28 May 2016 to acclaim in the New York press, winning the New York Times Critic's Pick. Adam Gopnik, profiling the show in the New Yorker, writes "Matt Roper, enlisted to play Chico, had to learn how to reproduce a fiendishly singular accent—not an Italian accent but a New York Italian-émigré accent as rendered in caricature by an émigré New York Jew—as well as how to play “trick” piano, in the distinctive Chico style, with the left-hand lolling and the right hand shooting the keys and kittening... he captures the strange, unearned belligerence of Chico."[35]

On 6 December 2017 Roper opened Off-Broadway in the comic/clown role of the first large-scale pantomime to be presented in New York for over a century, at the Playhouse Theater of the Henry Street Settlement. Adapted from the fairy tale of the same title by the British actor-musician Mat Fraser and directed by the performance artist Julie Atlas Muz, Jack and the Beanstalk also starred Dirty Martini and a cast of downtown performers.[36]

On 19 July 2018 Roper reprised his role as Chico Marx for 13 performances at the Culbreth Theater in The Cocoanuts, an adaptation of the 1925 Broadway musical-comedy directed by and starring Frank Ferrante as Groucho.

Roper again teamed up with Ferrante for the recording of a soundtrack album to accompany the release of the graphic novel Giraffes on Horseback Salad, based on an unproduced screenplay written by Salvador Dalí for the Marx Brothers. Composed and produced by jazz multi-instrumentalist Quin Arbeitman with a score and spoken word vignettes from an ensemble of musicians and vocalists from around the world, the album was released worldwide on 26 July 2019.

Roper made his directorial debut with Ashley Blaker's stand-up comedy Goy Friendly, opening for three weeks Off-Broadway at New York's Soho Playhouse. Produced by Matt Lucas, the show opened 3 February 2020.[37]

On 4 December 2021 Roper opened at the Playhouse Theater of the Henry Settlement in Dick Rivington and The Cat, a pantomime inspired by the British folk story of Dick Whittington, directed by Julie Atlas Muz and written by Mat Fraser. On 13 December, the production cancelled all remaining performances due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in New York City, with several members of the cast testing positive for contracting the virus.[38] The following year, the production was revived for a full season. In December 2023 Roper played the role of Prince Charming in The Sleeping Beauty, the third and final pantomime to be presented by the company.

Roper makes appearances under the guise of characters at the Slipper Room, a variety theatre in Manhattan's Lower East Side.[39]

Politics

In November 2014, Roper was among 44 comedians to sign an open letter to Dapper Laughs published nationally in the UK's Independent newspaper, protesting "encouraging rape culture and normalising sexism" in an ITV2 series, which was subsequently cancelled.[40][41] He is a member of the Save Soho movement, a collective of artists who oppose the ongoing closure and demolition of music venues and independent businesses within the London neighbourhood, adding his signature to a letter to Boris Johnson in 2014.[42] Roper is a long-time supporter of the British Labour Party and many of its causes.

Personal life

Roper lives in New York City.[43][39] He is a son of the late British comedian George Roper. On his paternal side, Roper is a great-grandnephew of brothers Johnnie Cullen and George Sanford, two early 20th century stars of the British Music Hall stage, and a great-nephew of the BBC wartime singer Jeannie Bradbury.

On his maternal side, Roper descends from the Groves family of actors and performers, which includes Martha Bigg (an actress of the Regency era), Fred Groves (a leading man in British silent films) and Walter Groves (a comedian with the Fred Karno Company).[44]

The American writer Trav S.D., author of No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, describes the generational differences between father and son:

Matt Roper is a chameleon-like comic actor. He is a completely different character every time I ever see him perform. I first met him because he played Chico Marx in a revival of I’ll Say She Is (and amusingly, it was a while before I ever heard his real voice)... In Androboros he played a callous British aristocrat. In Jack and the Beanstalk he was a wide-eyed, accessible little boy. By contrast, George Roper’s only persona was himself. He didn’t act or play roles, apart from brief moments in his jokes when he would do a character. The common denominator of course is show business. People in show business are more like other people in show business than they are like people outside of it, no matter what their act. One can be a lion tamer and the other a tuba player — it’s still a life of constant travel, living from gig to gig, craving attention, and pleasing roomfuls of strangers. I say it is a noble calling. May there be generations of funny Ropers for all eternity.[45]

Discography

  • Giraffes on Horseback Salad (Original Soundtrack) – Quin Arbeitman (album, 2019)
  • Wilfredo Unchained: Live in California - Wilfredo (album, 2015)
  • Peace All Over the World (At Christmas Time) - Wilfredo feat. the Great Carmella (single, 2014)
  • The Wonderful World of Wilfredo - Wilfredo (album, 2014)
  • Happy Goddamn Christmas - Loretta Maine feat. Matt Roper (single, 2012)

References

  1. ↑ Wilfredo: Erecto! Review – Edinburgh Festival Fringe Chortle.com, retrieved 30-08-12
  2. ↑ ED2011 Wilfredo: Erecto! Review – Three Weeks, Three Weeks, retrieved 08-01-12
  3. ↑ The List – Bizarre and creepy cruise ship act The List – Wilfredo: Erecto!, ret. 30-08-12
  4. 1 2 Broadwaybaby.com BroadwayBaby.com: Review: The Wonderful World Of Wilfredo – Retrieved 30 August 2012
  5. ↑ Comedycv.co.uk Entry for Matt Roper – Retrieved 15 February 2011
  6. ↑ Camden New Journal – retrieved 21-07-10
  7. ↑ Glastonbury Festival 2010
  8. ↑ Off The Wagon – Balkan beats and gypsy music
  9. ↑ NME.com Glastonbury Line-up 2010
  10. ↑ Matt Roper and Jackie Juno a double bill at the Totnes Festival, PRSD, retrieved 15-09-10
  11. ↑ Inside Buenos Aires 10–17 March 2014
  12. ↑ Archived 4 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Feeling Funny In Buenos Aires? You’re not alone. | What's Up Gringo? Magazine
  13. ↑ 'Cape Town Funny Festival: Line-up' Expressoshow.com 11 June 2013
  14. ↑ Showtime Tenerife: Wilfredo, Kai Humphries, Daniel Simonsen, Jessica Fostekew - Sept 20 2014
  15. ↑ Corriere del Mezzogiorno Wilfredo, il Rock visto da Granada
  16. ↑ ConnectMagazine.it Wilfredo, Un Uomo e La Sua Musica. A Nardò il fenomeno lounge dell'Inghilterra
  17. ↑ Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine Alex Frackleton, Wilfredo (UK) Open Air Metamorphisis. Hradec Králové, Czech Rep. Fri 27 June 2014
  18. ↑ 'KarliBebenRückschau' Karli Beben - Feinkost Blog Sept 2014
  19. ↑ Archived 27 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine 'Unique Character Act To Perform in Budapest' Daily Hungary 21 June 2014
  20. ↑ 'Character Performer in Bratislava on Thursday' Slovakia Daily 21 June 2014
  21. ↑ BBC – BBC Radio 4 Extra Programmes What's So Funny? Episode 12, Series 1. Broadcast Fri 24 June 2011 – Retrieved 27 June 2011
  22. ↑ BBC – BBC Radio 4 Extra Programmes The Comedy Club Interviews. Broadcast Sunday 25 December 2011 – Retrieved 1 January 2012
  23. ↑ Musicchart.info 'Happy Goddamn Christmas'
  24. ↑ BBC Three Comedy: Happy Goddamn Christmas
  25. ↑ London Evening Standard | Wilfredo and Carmella’s BBC blackout Published: 15 December 2014
  26. ↑ Brighton Fringe Interview: Matt Roper, The New Current, retrieved 26-05-11
  27. ↑ The John Fleming Blog 15 September 2014
  28. ↑ The Guardian Guardian.co.uk – Edinburgh Festival 2011, Isy Suttie: My Edinburgh 02-09-11
  29. ↑ Soundcloud Ben Walters reviews Wilfredo: Erecto for Time Out, retrieved 02-09-11
  30. ↑ Chortle Chortle.co.uk Edinburgh Fringe 2011 – Wilfredo: Erecto! review, retrieved 02-09-11
  31. ↑ British Theatre Guide British Theatre Guide – Retrieved 20 February 2013
  32. ↑ Solutions, Powder Blue Internet Business. "Malcolm Hardee winners announced : News 2015 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2016. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  33. ↑ "Tags: 2015". Beyond The Joke. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  34. ↑ Lost 1924 Marx Brothers Musical I'LL SAY SHE IS to Make Off-Broadway Debut BroadwayWorld.com Published: 24 April 2016
  35. ↑ "How a Lost Marx Brothers Musical Found Its Way Back Onstage". The New Yorker. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  36. ↑ "Review: 'Jack and the Beanstalk' Is a Holiday Treat Worth Savoring". Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  37. ↑ "Ashley Blaker's Goy Friendly Begins Performances at SoHo Playhouse". Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  38. ↑ "Review: ATTENTION ALL PATRONS Due to COVID-19 cases within our cast, we have decided to cancel all remaining performances of Dick Rivington & the Cat. All ticket holders will be notified and given a full refund". Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  39. 1 2 "UK comedy performer Matt Roper aka 'Wilfredo' in criminal court in New York". John Fleming's blog - SO IT GOES. December 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  40. ↑ The Independent | Dapper Laughs: Jenny Eclair and Isy Suttie among 44 comedians to sign open letter against 'entirely sexist' ITV star Published: November 2014
  41. ↑ Pocklington, Rebecca (11 November 2014). "Dapper Laughs: 44 comedians sign open letter against controversial comic after sick rape joke sparks outrage". mirror. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  42. ↑ Save Soho | Letter To Boris Johnson Published: December 2014
  43. ↑ Solutions, Powder Blue Internet Business. "Comic arrested for dozing on the subway : News 2015 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2016. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  44. ↑ Gruber, Fiona (14 April 2020). "Charlie Chaplin's Funny Walk and Other Music Hall Mysteries". The Australian Broadcasting Company.
  45. ↑ "George Roper: The Comedian". 15 May 2018.
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