Comedian Rita Rudner on performing in London, Obama and, er, flying with an anal probe

COMEDY legend Rita Rudner is bringing her one woman show to London's Leicester Square Theatre in June and July for the first time in more than 15 years.

In a career spanning 40 years, the multi-talented Rita has established herself as one of America’s top comedians and a New York Times best-selling author, as well as an award-winning television personality, screenwriter, playwright, Broadway dancer and actress.

With the perfect combination of conversational dry wit and expert timing, mixed with her self-deprecating signature style, Rudner is known for her epigrammatic one-liners and sharp, hilarious anecdotes about everyday life. The only four-letter words the audience will hear are shop, shoe and cook.

Even at 9am in the morning, US time, Rudner retains her sense of humour - as I discovered during my telephone interview with the star last week.

Good morning Rita, thank for chatting to me so early in the day!

Rita Rudner: It’s a beautiful day and Osama Bin Laden is dead, so nothing is wrong!

Good to hear. So what can fans expect from your London show?

RR: I talk about relationships and life and things that happen to everybody.

I will be testing a lot of jokes on the plane over because I want to make sure my references make sense.

Although we do speak the same language there are some words which we don’t have in common.

I like to do things which are universal because I do work in countries around the world such as London, Australia, Canada and Scotland.

You haven’t performed in London for more than 15 years now...

RR: Well, that’s true. My husband counts, so he knows!

Why has it taken you so long to come back to the UK?

RR: We’ve been busy (laughs). After making the movie Peter’s Friends, my husband (screenwriter Martin Bergmen) and I were writing lots of scripts in Hollywood and about 10 years ago we decided to adopt a baby, which we did and she will be nine years old in June.

So, we moved to Las Vegas where I was lucky enough to get my own show and I was able to be a mother. I haven’t been travelling for 10 years.

What have you missed about touring?

RR: Well, when I flew you didn’t have to take your pants off when you got on the plane.

When I was flying, you just had to say, ‘hello, it’s me,’ and they said ‘did anyone look at you strangely?’ You say no and just get on the plane. Now, you have to have an anal probe.

How does a British audience compare with an American one?

RR: Americans are much more raucous. English people are a bit more reserved.

I remember the first time I did a television show, it was the Bob Monkhouse show, and I wasn’t used to a response that was a bit more muted.

I came off and asked how I did and the nice woman said, ‘smashing.’

However, that was a long time ago and I think people are a little more outgoing now and a bit more free.

I’m hoping I’ll be funny enough to make everyone forget what they’re doing and just laugh uproariously.

You’ve been performing in Las Vegas for 11 years now. Did you expect to stay there so long and make it your home?

RR: No, but it kind of worked out because it coincided with having a family and Las Vegas is one of the only places where a performer can live a normal life.

I have all my friends there - my daughter’s friends’ mothers - and we go and play tennis, my daughter has play dates and we go to birthday parties at the weekend, and I still get to do my show.

It’s really good that I don’t have to take a plane to work, I can just take a car. My husband and my daughter are coming to London as well, so we’re making it a family trip.

You had previously been living in New York and Los Angeles, so did you surprise yourself by loving Las Vegas so much?

RR: It wasn’t such a huge change because I had been working in Las Vegas for maybe 10 years before that, but I wasn’t living here.

It was a little bit scary because we came from a big house which we had in LA and we decided to just sell everything. We sold our house, dishes, sheets, towels and silverware.

Then we moved into an apartment in a new city, so it was a bit scary, but I knew Las Vegas very well.

I also knew the people I was working for because I had been coming to Las Vegas for eight weeks a year for a long time.

So, yes it was scary because it was a new place to live, but it wasn’t scary performing.

You performed for President Obama at a charity benefit night at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas back in 2009. That must have been incredibly nerve-racking. How did you cope?

RR: I don’t do political humour so I had to write 10 minutes of it which I haven’t performed before.

Whenever I do a show in London or Las Vegas I always test the material, but this was 95 per cent untested. So it was scary.

It was me, Bette Midler and Sheryl Crow and they kept changing the order. It was a little bit harrowing but very rewarding.

Were there any subjects which you were told were no go areas?

RR: No, I just used my discretion. The good thing about being a comedian is that nobody tells you what to do.

What was Obama’s reaction?

RR: Well, this is even worse! Obama did his thing and I had jokes which I was going to tell directly to him. But he went and watched basketball!

I did meet him though, so that was fun. We had a nice chat in Bette Midler’s dressing room.

You started out as a Broadway dancer. Was it difficult to cross over to comedy?

RR: Yes, but it was a good idea because I wouldn’t want to be a dancer now I am in my 50s.

I just noticed there weren’t too many female comedians and thought I would give it a try. Then I found out that I love that form of entertainment.

Your humour is quite gentle, but at the same time there is a bite to it. Does that ever take people by surprise?

RR: I just want to make people laugh so I don’t analyse what I do to that extent.

What I want to do is keep being creative. I love trying new jokes and I get very satisfied when one works. I love to make jokes about human nature and I like when people identify with it.

Rita Rudner will perform at the Leicester Square Theatre on June 30, July 2, then July 6 to 8. For tickets, call 0844 873 3433 or visit leicestersquaretheatre.com or ticketzone.co.uk