Colin Stuart Lane(born 25 March 1965) is an Australian comedian, actor and TV host, best known for being one-half of comedy duoLano and Woodley.
| Colin Lane | |
|---|---|
 Colin Lane, 2014 | |
| Birth name | Colin Stuart Lane |
| Born | 25 March 1965 Perth,Australia |
| Medium | Television, theatre, books |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Notable works and roles | Member ofLano and Woodley(1987–2006, 2017–present) andReady Steady Cook(2011–2013) |
Lano and Woodley
editLane performed with fellow comedianFrank Woodleyas part of the duoLano and Woodleyfor a period of almost 20 years. The two met throughtheatresportsin the mid-1980s and first performed together at anopen mikenight at the Prince Patrick Hotel inCollingwood, Victoria,in 1987 along with their friend Scott Casley, calling themselves the Found Objects.[1]
Over the next six years, the trio performed in venues throughout Australia and at theEdinburgh Festival Fringe.They became semi-regulars onABC TV'sThe Big Gig,a show known for boosting the careers of new comedy acts, had their own commercial radio show for six months and were part of the short-livedSeven Networksketch showThe Comedy Sale.[2]When in 1992 Casley moved away toAlice Springs,Woodley and Lane decided to continue as a duo, drawing their name from childhood nicknames.[1]
As Lano and Woodley, the two adopt humorous onstage personas, with Woodley playing a "goofy innocent" who is frequently bullied by Lane's pompous, controlling character.[3]Their first show as a comedy duo, "Fence", debuted in 1993. It toured throughout Australia, winning the Moosehead Award at theMelbourne International Comedy Festivalfor best act and was eventually taken the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1994, where it won the prestigiousPerrier Comedy Award.[1]Subsequent live productions have included "Curtains", "Glitzy", "Slick", "Bruiser", "The Island" and their 2006 farewell show, "Goodbye" which won the2006 Helpmann AwardforBest Comedy.[4]In 2000, they co-hosted the televised Melbourne Comedy Gala.[2]
Woodley and Lane have created two television shows together.The Adventures of Lano and Woodley,which premiered on the ABC in 1997, was a comedy series which featured the duo living together in a fictional suburban Melbourne flat and frequently getting into trouble. It aired for two seasons, airing in 38 other countries. Although they were offered the opportunity to make the series in England, the pair decided to remain in Australia because they did not want to live in London.[3]In 2004 their live show,The Island,was filmed as a TV special and aired onThe Comedy Channel.[2]The duo have also released an album,Lano & Woodley Sing Songs,and a novel,Housemeeting.
In 2006, after close to 20 years of working together, Woodley and Lane decided to part ways. Woodley states the split was due to a desire to pursue new challenges. "We just got to the stage where we felt we had to make a decision," he says. "Either we were going to spend the next 20 years doing this, this'd be our career, our lives forever. And that wouldn't have been a terrible thing. Or we could go, 'Let's have a bit more variety in our lives'."[1]In one final tour, the duo travelled through 37 Australian cities with their farewell show, "Goodbye".[3]
In 2016, Colin reunited withFrank Woodleyfor a surprise performance as part of theMelbourne Comedy Festival's30th Birthday Bash.
In 2018, the duo reprised their roles asLano and Woodleyfor FLY, a show which won the 2018Melbourne Comedy FestivalPeople's Choice Award.[5]
Solo work
editSince Lano and Woodley's farewell tour, Lane has appeared inDon's Partyfor theMelbourne Theatre Company,followed by a season with theSydney Theatre Company.[6]In 2008, he was cast as Pooh-Bah in Essgee Productions'The Mikado.[7]
Lane wrote and performed a solo cabaret show,I'm Not Sure About the Music,about a man who loses the music and finds it again. He performed it in theMelbourne International Comedy Festivalin 2009 and again for a limited return season in 2010.[8]
He has made numerous appearances on Australian television, having had guest appearances onGood News Week,Spicks and Specks,Welcher & Welcher,Thank God You're Here,Neighbours,All Star Family FeudandShow Me the Movie!.He has also been a presenter for twoNine Networkshows,Wine Me, Dine MeandKings of Comedy.His film credits includeJimeoin's 2005 movieThe Extra,in which he played a movie extra, Danny, and the short filmWhite Lines.
In 2011, Lane was a fill in host onThe Circlefor bothGorgi Coghlan(early 2011) andChrissie Swan(late 2011) while they both took maternity leave. Also in 2011, it was announced that Lane would hostReady Steady CookreplacingPeter Everettfrom June that year.
In 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2020 Lane appeared as a panellist on the UK comedy showQI.He also made an appearance on Channel 7'sSlideShow.In November 2014, he appeared as a late replacement on the inaugural cruise of the Australian performing arts on theMSRadiance of the Seasalong with, among others,Cheryl Barker,David Hobson,Teddy Tahu Rhodes,Simon Tedeschi,Elaine Paige,Marina Prior,andJonathon Welch.With David Hobson, he appeared since 2016 at various festivals in the show "In Tails – A Comedian and an Opera Singer's Worlds Collide"[9]which also toured Australia.[10]
References
edit- ^abcdHouston, Melinda (26 March 2006)."So long, farewell".The Age.Retrieved30 August2008.
- ^abc"Lano & Woodley (Australia)".The Groggy Squirrel.12 February 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 20 July 2008.Retrieved31 August2008.
- ^abcLow, Lenny Ann (25 February 2006)."Lano and Woodley: parting of the wags".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved31 August2008.
- ^"Past nominees and winners – 2006 Best Comedy Performer".Helpmann Awards.Retrieved26 October2022.
- ^"Colin Lane".Token Artist Management.Retrieved24 October2019.
- ^Usher, Robin (8 January 2007)."Fight the right and party".The Age.Retrieved31 August2008.
- ^Dardanis, Amanda (27 July 2008)."Mikado role a rude awakening for Colin Lane aka Lano".The Courier-Mail.Retrieved22 December2014.
- ^"Colin Lane – I'm Not Sure About the Music".comedyfestival.com.au.Archived fromthe originalon 23 April 2010.Retrieved12 January2011.
- ^"Biography",token.com.au
- ^"In Tails – David Hobson, Colin Lane"
External links
edit- Colin LaneatIMDb
- Profile,token.com.au
- Interviewby Sean Lynch, Web WombatArchived14 December 2008 at theWayback Machine
