Interview: 'We're Not That Good at the Stage Slap!': Joe Pike & Tom Hazelden of MY LAST TWO BRAIN CELLS on Audience Reaction and Having Fun at the Fringe

When disaster strikes in Gary's brain, it's up to his brain cells to try and fix everything. Unfortunately, they've all jumped ship and we're stuck with these two idiots. Can brain cell number 12 and 64,928,460,784 put aside their differences to save Gary's life? 

VAULT Festival People's Choice Award nominee 2023, My Last Two Brain Cells has now come to the Fringe.

BroadwayWorld had the chance to sit down with the creators and stars of the show, Joe Pike (Clive) and Tom Hazelden (Brain Cell #12). We discussed the unusual inspiration for My Last Two Brain Cells, which brain cell they relate to more, and even some tips for bringing a show to the Fringe!

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How did you first come up with the concept for My Last Two Brain Cells?

Tom: So basically, our final project at drama school was that we had to make a 10-minute devised piece of theatre. It could be whatever we wanted, and we can work with whoever we wanted. So we made a version of My Last Two Brain Cells that was 10 minutes. In terms of the actual idea itself, I think it came from an episode of SpongeBob, believe it or not!

[Laughter]

Tom: There's an episode where he's trying to remember his name. And it goes into his head. And there’s an office, and everything's on fire, and there's paper everywhere . . . I think that was a starting point. And then we built on it from there. 

Joe: From the 10-minute, we got a slot at the VAULT Festival, which is an hour long, so we extended it, and then we quite liked that, and that got a good reception. And so we thought, “Let's take it to Edinburgh!” And it became what it is.

Tom: There's so many inspirations like Bo Burnham, Aunty Donna, Tim Robinson . . . But yeah, it basically started from Spongebob! [Laughs]

What has it been like performing the show at the Fringe?

Tom: It's been so good! It's the first time that we've performed to an audience of people where we now know nobody. Because in London, we've got friends and family - We also do in Edinburgh as well, but obviously, we're doing so many performances in a row . . . It's the first time we've actually had to trust the material and not rely on people laughing at us because they know us. So that's been interesting, but it's been really fun. 

Joe: It’s been so much fun! We have so many bits where we rely on the audience to give us answers and the amount of crazy and different answers that have made us laugh . . . We try very hard not to break character, but it's been really funny! [Laughs]

What have been some of your favourite audience answers?

Joe: The other night, Tom asked someone a question, and it was just straight up, “No.” 

Tom: They just didn’t want to answer! And then we have another moment as well where my character points to someone in the audience who we’ve set up as Joe's character's mum. And I have a line, “Your mum's a better kisser than that!” And I point to them, and it was this woman who was obviously there with her partner, and he shouted out, “It’s true!”

[Laughter]

Tom: And then Joe looked into the audience and was like “Dad?” and then like, “Oh, no, that's not my dad.” And then we had this really funny back and forward with that. That's the first time something like that’s happened. That was so much fun.

How do you manage to be so in sync within the show?

Joe: You build up that “in sync-ness” throughout, especially doing it every single night. I think we have the same type of humour, anyway. So no matter what happens during the show, we're able to stay on the same kind of wavelength throughout. Doing it every single night helps us to keep that, especially that one bit [a point in the show when the pair speak in unison] where we've now got to a point where we're now saying that bit with the same intonation! [Laughs]

Tom: I think it’s also the way that the show's developed because we started as a 10-minute piece, and then we did a work-in-progress version, which was an hour and it was slightly messier, but it was in a cabaret venue. So the way that the show is built, we've been able to test the waters and be like, “Okay, this is how far we can go with certain bits,” and then try to narrow it down. I think that’s helped us as performers - We've had to do that together and see what works for the show. So we've had a gradual buildup, which has been really helpful.

Have you had any audience reactions to bits that you weren't expecting?

Tom: [Laughs] We get some really audible reactions during the “Up Sequence,” this mime sequence in the show. And there's a bit at the end - it’s ridiculous, but it kind of dips in between being really funny and being quite sad and tragic. And we get some really loud reactions to the more tragic bits towards the end. We wanted to make it a bit ridiculous and a bit long and have people forget what they were watching, but we didn't expect people to actually be gripped by it. We have people being like, “That moment is beautiful,” and “You got us in the palm of your hands!” 

Joe: From the first 10 minutes, people realise, “Oh, it's a show that we can interact with audibly, so we have so many. There's one moment where Tom slaps me and it always gets an [gasps] audible, kind of cartoonish gasp, but always surprises me that I'm always like, “Was it that shocking?” And also, we're not that good at the stage slap.

Tom: No . . . 

[Laughs]

Joe: You can see that it's fake. So unless people are gasping because they thought it was such a bad slap . . . I mean, it works for the show!

Tom: It’s so much fun that people are able to engage like that. Not pantomime-esque kind of reactions . . . 

Joe: You have the same permission as a pantomime to be a rowdy audience.

Yeah, it reminded me a bit more of American audiences, seeing your show, because people definitely were reacting more. 

Tom: People sat in the front row, no matter who you are, everyone gets involved in that kind of thing. If one person starts, it seems like there is a ripple effect throughout. We've got some American friends as well who said that they've been really shocked at British audiences because they are quite quiet and internal with reactions. And we wanted to do this as well because, ironically, I hate audience interaction I'd never want to be picked! So we've tried to make a show where it feels fun to be part of it and you want to interact. We've tried to build that in from the beginning so people feel like they can be loud and don't have to be British about it and be like, “Oh, I shouldn't be reacting to this.”

Do you have a favourite scene to perform?

Tom: Hmmm . . . the French bit’s always fun . . . and the beginning, running in and I do a little dance-off at the beginning and have a WWE entrance where I run through the audience. That's fun.

Joe: For me, it's the “Up Montage” scene just because we made it thinking, “This is quite funny,” but hearing the audience reaction to it alone makes it so much more fun and it is very fun to perform because it completely takes you away from the piece itself. And there's no words whatsoever while we're doing it. It’s always great to hear the audience.

Tom: I think my favourite bit might be, actually . . . it's not a serious show, but there is one serious moment towards the end. And that's such a nice change of pace. Joe is not on stage at this point and I just get to sit with the audience and it's really interesting to see how the audience reacts because they're waiting constantly for a punch line. We spoke about this quite a lot as well. We wanted to take a moment where there's no punchline. Because the audience doesn't know, because they're waiting for that, they're like, “Oh, is this actually serious?” They're quite uncomfortable and they don't know how to respond. And I find that really, really fun. You can see the audience waiting, and that's really interesting. 

Which of the two brain cells do you relate to more?

Joe: The other day, someone said, “Who would you want least at a party?” They're both so dramatic in their own way, on either end of the scale.

Tom: Our friend was like, “Who would you hang out with?” I think Brain Cell #15. I get on with them quite well. He’s not in the show!

[Laughter]

Tom: He's just a good guy. Just all around, very chill. No, I think probably Joe's character, Clive. In terms of making a Fringe show, at least he's got some discipline. But the beautiful thing is that there's a hybrid of both, which is a bit of representation of making the show. We've got lots of things structurally that we have to hit, which would be like Clive - We've got to keep in a timeframe, we've got to do this bit, we have to do this bit, we have to hit cues. But then also, the show is so like #12. It’s fun and loud and in your face. So different days call for different brain cells for me. 

Joe: Throughout drama school, we made characters that we know we’re typically like, good at playing. For me, it's that awkward, stiff, kind of character. And Tom is very good at doing loose, loud characters. But no, I don’t think I’m like Clive. Maybe I am!

[Laughter]

Joe: When people see us after they're like, “Oh my God, you’re not like your character at all!” Which I hope is a good thing!

What are your top tips for performers bringing their shows to the Fringe?

Tom: For me, have a good poster and engage with people on social media. There's so many great shows out there that I'm not going to see because the poster is not amazing. It's physically impossible to be flyered by everyone, and a poster is sometimes all you have to go on. Or if you do get a flyer, sometimes the flyer is all you have to go on. But obviously, that comes with a caveat of money.

We've been fortunate. I've got a background in Photoshop, and we had a really great photographer who’s Joe’s friend. So we had lots of really great opportunities, but I think even if it's just with a camera phone, faces are really great. Graphics are also really great, but in terms of remembering stuff, people remember faces, they remember performers. We've had people come up to us and be like, “Oh, you’re the brain cell guys!” That's been really helpful, having a recognisable image that people can be like, “Oh, cool, I know what this is.” 

Joe: If you are in the process of taking a show up, have no expectations whatsoever. This is my first time in Scotland, let alone going to the Fringe! It's been amazingly fun. There's just so many different things that you just don't expect, so I think having no expectations and just going with the flow. And if you don't get that many people in, that's fine, because whether you have three people in or whether you have fifty people in, those three people are still there to see you. So still give your all. That’s three paying people. And you shouldn't be disheartened by that, because that's three human beings. So have no expectations and just go with the flow of whatever the Fringe throws at you.

Tom: In terms of audience members, we've been fortunate enough not to have it yet, but in the event that there is no one in your audience, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing, especially if you're doing a full run with one day off. If no one shows up to your audience, that's a night off for you! Don't take it to heart; enjoy the night off. The universe is giving you a chance to go and see a show you can't normally see! And then hope someone's in the next day. 

What do you hope audiences take away from the show?

Tom: Some people have taken this in a strange way as well, is that we don't really want anyone to come away with anything other than a good time. We don't want people to think “Oh, there's a strong message,” or “What was this about?” We’re two straight white guys, we're in our 20s, we don’t have a lot to say about the world yet. But we like to make people laugh and to entertain people. So we just want people to come away being like, “That was so much fun!” And maybe tell their friends about it, or maybe forget it in an hour. But they've had a really good night! And I remember the first time we told someone that they were like, “Oh, so you don't want people to think about it at all.” And we were like, “Well, kind of!” We want people to be like, “That was a good time, it was so much fun.” 

Joe: We've had people say “Oh, is it a reflection on mental health? Is there a darker side to how Gary died?” And these kinds of things. We haven't really thought about that. But if people want to come away and think about that, I’m happy!

Tom: No matter what you try and put in a show, people will take away whatever they want anyway. People have been taking stuff away, which is great, and that's completely up to them. It's interesting to hear what people take away, what people think of it. But we don't really care about our message. 

Joe: We made the show because we were like, “This is our kind of humour!” We made something that we'd want to go and see. I mean, there are some stupid jokes in it. Really, really dumb jokes, smart jokes, all this kind of stuff. We just want people to relax and have an hour of a good time. 

Tom: A lot of people have spoken about friendship, which is probably the biggest theme in the show, but we didn't set out to make a show about friendship - It just happened. So people have taken stuff like that away, and that's really nice and a really cool thing for people.

And finally, how would you describe My Last Two Brain Cells in one word?

Tom: Chaos.

Joe: Bonkers.

My Last Two Brain Cells runs at Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, Nip at 21:40 until 27 August. 

Photo Credit: Phoenix Takes Photos

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