EdFringe Talk: The Awkward Silence’s Big Break

Posted in Bedfringe 2022, EdFestivals 2022 by

“No other festival is as intense or all-consuming; at no other festival does Basil Brush rub up so closely against a one-woman comedy show about going through a divorce.”

WHO: Ralph Jones and Vyvyan Almond: Writers and performers

WHAT: “Louis Voler wants his dad, Mike, out of his life – which is difficult as Mike’s just got them sent to jail. Can Louis navigate life inside without his old man to guide him? Can Mike win back his son’s affection before it’s too late? Award-winning comedy duo The Awkward Silence present their dynamic father and son prison musical. Resentment. Redemption. Songs. Diamonds. Escape? Lovely.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Balcony (Venue 14) 

WHEN: 14:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s not our first rodeo, no. This is the first time we’ve attempted the entire month since 2014 when we went up with a narrative sketch show called The Voyage of The Narwhal. We’ve been up in various guises over the years but this feels like the big one. Ed Fringe is just an astonishing collection of the wonderful and the bizarre. No other festival is as intense or all-consuming; at no other festival does Basil Brush rub up so closely against a one-woman comedy show about going through a divorce. The Fringe is a great festival partly because, though there are shows happening in many disparate places, it does feel as though there’s a real unity to them: that everything is related. It’s a smorgasbord but a connected one. When it’s buzzing it genuinely feels like the most exciting place on Earth, and who knows – maybe even beyond Earth.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’m not sure we’ve learned anything since 2019, no. Just trying to think… nope.

Tell us about your show.

The Awkward Silence’s Big Break is a comedy musical, written by us and starring us, about a father and son who are sent to prison together. The father, Mike, is a career criminal who immediately wants to escape with his son, Louis. But Louis is innocent and is having none of it: he puts his faith in the authorities. But is this unwise? Should he have accepted his dad’s offer?

We play all of the various characters in the prison and sing all of the songs, all of which were composed by Henry Carpenter. The show was directed by Julian Spooner of award-winning theatre group Rhum and Clay.

The Awkward Silence came together in 2010 in Oxford, when we met on the student comedy scene before stepping tentatively onto the London circuit.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Oooooh. They could and should see Colin Hoult: The Death of Anna Mann, or Police Cops: The Musical or Austentatious, or Showstopper. These are all fun, funny shows performed by people at the top of their game. Gorgeous.

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