Mark T Cox is the Paddy Daddy
Our cabaret fave Mark T Cox has a new show – Paddy Daddy.
Describing it as an Irish gay guide to romance, Mark is promising over an hour of comedy, filth and pop bangers. That’s the kind of show that gets our attention!
We caught up with Mark for a behind-the-scenes look at the show.
You’re describing Paddy Daddy as an Irish gay guide to romance – is Ireland a nation of lovers?
Oh, 100 percent. I think everyone has been wooed and swept away by an Irish person at some stage in their life.
We’re nice and friendly, full of chat and smiles. It’s a kind of flirting you don’t even realise is happening. You’re having a lovely time, laughing and chatting, and then suddenly you’re married and living next door to his parents in the west of Ireland!
What’s the secret to the sex appeal of an Irish man – does it all come down to the accent?
The accent is definitely a good start.
I’ll let you in on a little secret – a lot of us ramp up the accent when we leave Ireland. Don’t tell anyone I told you that.
There’s a kindness and trustworthiness to the Irish accent that people seem to like. But it can be dangerous too! It can sweep you off your feet before you know it. Be careful!
Then, there are the thighs, of course. Irish lads from the countryside are out working since they are kids – helping on the farm, dragging bags of timber and turf around, feeding cattle, and playing never ending games of Gaelic football in the rain – the perfect formula to build the best thighs in Europe.
Does calling the show Paddy Daddy signify that you are stepping into your Daddy era?
I’m mid-thirties now and have a fairly homosexual moustache, which seems to be all you need to meet the prerequisites for identifying as a Dad.
I’m happy to be in whatever era people want me to be in. Just pay attention to me and come to my bloody show! Thanks.
It’s fun to play with different vibes and modes, especially at this age where some days you wake up feeling young, dumb and full of… ambition, and other days you wake up feeling haggard and tired and done with the world!
The flex and fluidity of the mid-thirties homosexual is a wondrous and hilarious thing to experience.
What’s your idea of a perfect date?
I’m such a nana. I don’t want to be taken clubbing or to some filthy orgy rave.
If you want to really get me going, take me to a cosy little pub somewhere in Ireland. One of those dark little ones where they serve those enormous dinners, maybe like a sheperd’s pie, or a giant lasagne – if we’re being international. Then, spoon feed me an apple crumble, throw me into bed and I’m all yours.
What’s an example of something really romantic that you’ve done for a man?
I’ve been with my partner nearly ten years now, so it can be hard to think of big romantic gestures, after such a long time.
I think the most romantic thing you can do is to be attentive and do small subtle little things everyday – make him dinner when he’s had a long day, change the bedsheets so he can sleep comfy and cosy, and groom your bits twice a week.
The show at the Divine on 15 March is a Fringe preview?
I’m very much looking forward to the show at The Divine in March. It’s a new venue – new stage, new tech, new lights – it should be fab!
It’s also right across the street from my house, which is handy for any fans who want a little after show show.
This is a new show I’m previewing, which will hopefully be travelling around to Dublin Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, and a few other dates in London this summer. Keep an eye on my insta for updates and occasional thirst.
Paddy Daddy by Mark T Cox is on at The Divine on 15 March