You’ll most likely recognise Henry Rowley from your ‘For You’ page. One of 2023’s break-out comic stars, he shot to viral fame for his observational comedy and self-aware skits on TikTok, where he’s collected a cool 1.3 million followers (and counting). And despite the distinctly London-branded humour characterising Rowley’s wildly popular sketches – satirical personifications of different parts of the city and cheeky impressions of Soho House members frequently feature – he actually hails from Leicester. This summer, Rowley is moving from the screen to the IRL, taking his first solo hour-long comedy show to the Edinburgh Fringe (he’s keen to stress it will not be ‘TikTok on stage’). But it all started at the Curve Theatre in Rowley’s native city. Here, the rising star tells us about the Leicester venue which infected him with the bug to perform.
‘The Curve was newly built when I was younger – it was a huge deal for Leicester because we didn’t have a big theatre like that. It was so new that everything felt so fresh, but not lifeless, not like when something new feels soulless. It was full of excitement.
‘I first performed at the Curve in a non-speaking role in ‘An Inspector Calls’. I was so tiny, I must have been about 10 or 11, and it felt huge. It was a proper theatre, very grand, and I was surrounded by older professional actors. To use the cliché: I got the bug. It was my first taste of performing on stage. I had my own dressing room with lights around the mirror and my own chaperone who’d do my makeup and take me around. I felt like a celebrity. It was pure excitement: you can’t quite beat that high of thousands of people watching you, even if it’s just for a moment.
You felt like you were part of the mould of the theatre – when you’re younger, that kind of thing is really compelling
‘As one of the performers, you were able to go into all of the hidden rooms upstairs, and all the studio and rehearsal rooms. You felt like you were part of the mould of the theatre. When you’re younger, that kind of thing is really compelling. There’s also something inspiring about being on stage, facing out to an empty theatre, knowing what is about to become – that strange, excited silence of it. This huge room that’s so empty, with an anticipation of what’s to come.
‘I’ve sat all over that theatre. Wherever you sit, you get a great view. It’s got these huge, round, bright red seats and a very impressive stage. A lot of the things I saw there all blur into one, but a few really stand out. Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake was incredible. But every time I sat in the audience, I’d watch with this burning longing, thinking: ‘‘I wanna be up there’’.’
Henry Rowley performs a monthly comedy show at 2Northdown, London. Keep an eye on the website for new dates to be announced soon.