Billy Edwards chats to dashingly-bearded comedian Morgan Rees, a Merthyr Tydfil native scaling the standup ladder and shortly to embark on his debut UK tour – which addresses personal revelations as a twentysomething and subsequently navigating one’s thirties.
Morgan Rees has an eventful spring on his way with his first stand-up tour, Turning Thirsty. He’s taken on TikTok and earned 60,000 followers with his comedy, which often boasts a refreshing frankness towards sexuality. What is his objective onstage?
“Well, two hours of a good laugh. In the support slots I’ve done, their whole big thing was giving their audience a great time. I saw people use it as a ‘pres’! That’s exactly what I want – a riot!”
It sounds like there’ll be little playing it safe – Morgan has big ambitions often unseen to comedy clubs and welcomingly great causes at hand to boot. “We’ll be raising funds for local LGBTQ+ charities; there’ll be British Sign Language interpreters and a big dress code.”
With this tour, Morgan is keen to carve out a new avenue in stand-up: a particular reinvention of “queer comedy, but for everybody”. Subsequently, it reflects his twenties and the discovery of his bisexuality, from the highs of romance to the lows of navigating stigma. It is immediately apparent that he has a talent for being disarming about often-squeamish topics.
“The things I talk about are personal to me. I do talk about sexuality, sex, and everything in between. I don’t feel nervous talking about that because I think it’s a fun thing we all share. You’ve already got your comedians talking about what it’s like to shop with the partner at IKEA. I want to hear something new.”
Morgan hails from Merthyr Tydfil, and much of his comedy concerns Welsh culture. He has much to commend about the “unique” sense of humour. “When was the last time you ever heard a posh Welsh act? We’re all sort of working class or middle class, and I think there’s a sharedness in that. I think we are people who talk about, “Oh, the British sense of humour; they’re so sarcastic”, but I think the Welsh are really good at laughing at themselves.”
These differences in styles have been none more apparent since Morgan moved to London; although it’s reminded him of how far he’s come, it’s perhaps to a fearsome extent. “I’ve started doing some gigs in members’ clubs. I started off doing comedy in working men’s clubs. When you make jokes about the clients of the working men’s clubs, they’ll beat you to the joke. You make a joke in a members’ club, you get banned!”
That’s one lesson learned: but how about the personal trials and tribulations of his last decade, which the show is themed around? “I’m proud of the mistakes because I stopped making them. I never make the same mistake twice, but I never made the right decision first. I do look at my twenties as such a journey. I love the authenticity. I can feel it in how I hold myself, how I breathe, how I say hello, how I present myself… I do love it.”
Morgan is evidently happy to turn a page on this decade of his life, but we press for clues on what he hopes lies ahead. “Oh, OK, let’s manifest!” a reclining Morgan laughs, reeling off a big list of aspirations. “I really want to make a TV show. I do love to read, and I would love to write a book; I’ve got loads of ideas. I want to do a half marathon in an hour.”
There is much to organise, then, but we can’t end our conversation without a little more cheekiness. “I’m a really, really happy boy. Other than maybe a bit more money, a tad more fame…”
Morgan Rees is at the Machynlleth Comedy Festival on Sun 5 May; Grand Theatre, Swansea, Sat 15 June; Glee Club, Cardiff Bay on Wed 19 June.
Tickets: £16.50. Info: morganreescomedy.com
words BILLY EDWARDS
