GERARD Carey has been on his knees for a year now. And there's almost another year to go.

But remarkably perhaps, the actor is still managing to smile.

"My knees are fine, thanks to some great knee pads and the physio I get three times a week," says the actor, grinning.

"As long as I work on my core and get to the gym I can get away with it."

Gerard is doing rather more than getting away with it in his starring role in Shrek, the award-winning musical spectacular running at the King's this week.

He's playing Lord Farquaad, the ruthless ruler of Duloc who attempts to rid his Kingdom of Fairy Tale creatures.

Farquaad is cursed by the fact he's not real royalty and has to marry a Princess, (Fiona) and the fact he's shorter than a brief intermission.

And of course he gets all the big laughs in the show, partly because this pompous creature is in denial about his height - and his lineage.

The role however calls for the actor to spend the duration of the show on his knees, which are fitted with special feet.

"It's got it's challenges," says Gerard of part. "Especially when you do two matinees at the weekends.

"But I was directed by Nigel Harman, (the former Eastenders star) who had played the part in the west end, and he was able to help me prepare."

The laughs produced by Farquaad are however incredible.

"Yes, and I'd love to say it's all me," says Gerard, grinning.

" But it's so well written. And you have this incredible kit that makes the fake legs I use work so well.

"It's a great piece of puppetry."

Cardiff-born Gerard is well-placed to milk as many laughs from the performance as possible.

He's appeared in comedy for most of his career, with stints in the likes of Spamalot, Noises Off and Mary Poppins.

"You push for the laughs," he says. "You try and press the buttons to see what else you can get out of it."

Is comedy more seductive that drama?

"I've always found humour in everything," he says, grinning. "It's human nature. We try and find humour in the darkness.

"But I do tend to gravitate towards the comedy role. And in this role it's all getting the balance right between the audience loving and hating him."

He adds; "It's all very well coming on stage and prancing about like a camp musical theatre turn, but you still have to feed in a bit of Richard The Third."

It's a great example of self-delusion.

"Thats's so true," he agrees. "I've just read a biography of John Cleese and what he says about Basil Fawlty is the comedy is rooted in fear, the fear of getting it wrong and being found out.

"That's the same thing with Farquaad. He's terrified he'll be found out and mocked."

Gerard has the experience to grab an audience's attention from the outset.

"When I was younger I was captivated by watching variety artists and stand-up comedians.

"If I'd had the right guidance, or maybe the courage I may have gone down this route.

"My parents used to appear in variety shows and they'd get me up during the interval to tell jokes.

"And I loved Bruce Forsyth, who was an idol of mine. He could do it all, make the audience feel like they were his best friends, yet somehow manage to mock them in a loving way, and get laughs from it.

" And there's Brian Conley of course, who seems to be the last of the variety artists. I think he's brilliant."

Gerard didn't follow Brian Conley into the world of holiday camp red coats.

"But I did appear as a singer in the working men's clubs," he says.

"In those days I used backing tracks on cassette tape. I didn't have a live band, and it was before computers so I'd sometimes reach the end of a tape half way through a song, flip it over and continue singing."

But neither variety, nor singing in the clubs, offered a real career opportunity.

When Gerard was a teenager however he began to read plays, became captivated and decided to go to drama college.

"I was also inspired by my uncle who's an actor, Anthony O'Donnell, and he's had a serious acting career."

And if you can survive the clubs with cheap tapes and low attention spans you can survive a two year stint on your knees in one of the world's top musicals.

"The only tricky thing about the Shrek tour is my partner and I recently had a baby, which means they've had to come to visit me.

"However, we've had some terrific times in some great cities. You make the most of it."

And you look after your knees.

"You have to," he says, smiling. "And you just keep hoping they'll hold you up."

*Shrek, The King's Theatre, April 29 - May 17