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• Heath Franklin choppers and changes roles for comedy festival Heath Franklin choppers and changes roles for comedy festival Annabel Ross Published: April 3, 2014 - 2:07PM Melbourne gig guide and events In the foyer of the Athenaeum Theatre, Heath Franklin pulls a Texta out of his backpack and starts drawing on his arms. The words ''Tanya'', ''Jimmy'', a few swirls, some hearts. You can still see traces of swirls and hearts from a few days ago, remnants from his last show. ''It usually takes two to three days before it's completely gone,'' Franklin says. ''I'm usually just sitting at home, hanging out with my kids and my wife, and I look down and there's a reminder of work there.'' For Franklin, ''work'' for the past eight years has been impersonating Mark ''Chopper'' Read, as played by Eric Bana in the 2000 film, in stand-up shows and the odd TV appearance. It's work that has won him plaudits and legions of fans here and overseas for his frighteningly accurate (and funny) portrayals of the notorious criminal. This year though, for the first time, Franklin is appearing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival as himself - as well as Chopper. Late at night at the Athenaeum, Franklin will front Chopper's Big F**ken Late Show, with a roster of celebrity comedian guests. At the Trades Hall, he'll lose Chopper's trademark moustache, tatts and shades, and perform as Heath Franklin - something he admits was a little daunting at first. ''Whenever I do Chopper gigs I'm never nervous, and then all of a sudden when I was being me it was like, 'Oh wow, this is what people talk about when they're nervous before a show','' he says. ''I think having things to hide behind, as Chopper, gives you that extra bulletproof confidence, you know, the moustache and the glasses, but when you walk out as yourself it's like, 'Well if they don't like this, they don't like me'.'' Imbuing his own comedy debut with ''emotional gravitas'' proved difficult as well - Franklin is happily married with kids, and life generally fluctuates somewhere between ''OK and pretty good''. He decided to turn to the crowd for ideas - the show is called May I Borrow a Crisis? - and involves Franklin mining the audience members' woes for comic fodder. Big F**ken Late Show will be more of a showcase for Franklin's comedian guests - Sammy J and Randy, and David Quirk appeared on opening night - with Chopper acting as compere. The death of Read last October has clearly not spelt the end for Franklin-as-Chopper just yet, but it may not be too far away. ''In the end I think Heath will probably win out just because you get sick of taking a backpack to work and a moustache in a box,'' he says. ''And there's gotta be something in these marker pens that's doing something to my circulation.'' Chopper: Big F**ken Late Show is at the Athenaeum, Friday and Saturday nights until April 19. Heath Franklin's May I Borrow A Crisis is at the Trades Hall until April 20. comedyfestival.com.au This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/comedy/heath-franklin-choppers-and-changes-roles-for-comedy-festival-20140328-35oka.html