Katherine MacAlister speaks to Daniel Bye about his stand against the constant stream of consumerism - and challenging it

How much is beauty worth?' What will people pay for an air guitar? And how much does a leg cost?

These are just some of the questions tackled by Daniel Bye in his new show The Price of Everything, a reaction against today’s blatant consumerism, performed with a twinkle in the eye and a gentle poke in the ribs.

Daniel will make you think, question your values, ensure your discomfort, but he will also have you laughing in the aisles and joining in on stage. Which is why 100 shows into his tour, the 33 year-old is now planning the global leg with dates in Germany, Romania and even the Philippines all planned. “Clearly something is working, because people keep coming back for more,” the comedian with a conscience tells me.

Not bad for a boy from Middlesbrough who wanted to make a difference. “I was always aware that there are some things more important than money but there is little recognition of that in the way we organise our society.

“Everything has to be cost-effective in terms of health, the environment and the arts without recognising what’s important. So I had a good hard look at it all by highlighting the absurdities and looking at what you cannot put a price on, such as selling body parts on the open market or air guitars on eBay, things that can’t be bought, to show that not everything can be valued in monetary terms.”

The second part of the show has more of a storytelling slant or “shaggy dog-stories about a fantasy world where things are very different,” Dan explains. “I wanted to make it as enjoyable, palatable and entertaining as possible even though we all know money is the root of all evil and it can’t buy you love,” he teases.

With 10 years in theatre under his belt, and no one else tackling the thorny issue, he seemed the right man for the job and The Price Of Everything is the result, Daniel’s first full-length solo show which is going down a storm: “It was something I’d been thinking about for while and had been looking for a way to talk about. I just needed my niche.”

Now that it’s up and running, whenever Daniel is in town for more than a few days he adds an ad lib treat on to the end, namely The Six O’Clock News where he and a select group of local performers concoct a show out of the daily news, which he embarks upon at Pegasus next week. “I’ve done it a handful of times and it’s its own thing”, giving him an extra burst of spontaneity to sharpen his teeth on.

With a new show to plan for August 2015, Daniel is taking his time crafting his next offering. “It takes a lot of research and thinking because I don’t want to rush it. I want it to be right so I’m quite careful during the development stage.” Any clues to its contents? “I always make work about the world we live in and how the politics and society affects our behaviour towards one another.

“But all theatre is an art form and my shows need to tell a story in a way that makes the audience think about the wider world, how we organise it and how it reflects on them.”

The Price of Everything
An exciting addition to the Saturday evening show — The Six O’Clock News — created by Dan with six local performers.
Pegasus, Oxford
May 22-24
Tickets: Call 01865 812150 or visit pegasustheatre.org.uk