EdFringe Talk: Gabey Lucas: A Berkshire Boar Walks Into a Bar (and Gets Shot in the Face)

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

image of event

“I think in North America, due to multiple factors – among them a different comedy infrastructure and different comedy historical “origins” and culture – we tend to box ourselves in to certain forms more rigidly.”

WHO: Gabey Lucas

WHAT: “‘Witty yet strangely informative’ Gabey Lucas (Rip City Comedy Festival, Martin Foundation Full Artist 2020 finalist) wants to talk to you about hard-hitting subjects like unicorn propaganda, snake abs, and kidnapping Abe Lincoln – who could totally beat the crap out of Alexander The Great, by the way. Unfortunately, to do so she first has to stop getting sidetracked by the silliest pig-based almost-war in human history. She’s not great at that. ‘A f*cking great writer’ (Patrick Borelli, The Tonight Show).”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter House – The Penny (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 14:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I was there for a hot minute last Fringe just to sus it out, but this is my first Edinburgh show, yeah. It’s so unlike anything else – the atmosphere reminded me of being at the Olympics back in 2010, I’ve just never been anywhere else where everyone is seemingly all there to celebrate the same thing.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Just as a punter last year (minus the panel show or two I hopped on), I think my main takeaway or reminder was how limitless human creativity in comedy can be. I think in North America, due to multiple factors – among them a different comedy infrastructure and different comedy historical “origins” and culture – we tend to box ourselves in to certain forms more rigidly. Stand-up there doesn’t tend to overlap with sketch, improv, clowning, hell even puppetry all at once in the same way these overlap here. The media of live comedy can be so much more fluid than we tend to consider in North America, and Edinburgh was such a reinvigorating reminder of that.

Tell us about your show.

Berkshire Boar is a stand-up show that is definitely, DEFINITELY not about the stupidest pig-based near-war of all time. It is simply a joke show with jokes. About things like unicorns being a propaganda conspiracy, giving the Mona Lisa a gun, my favorite Bible verse, and a lot of accidentally exploring our species’ oddest quirks.

I didn’t actually realize how unified my material was there until putting it all together. Previously, if you’d asked me to describe my comedy, I didn’t have a good answer because I felt it was just dumb smart comedy or smart dumb comedy. Then I realized that’s because I accidentally talk about humans and human-adjacent shenanigans a lot, and we’re the stupidest smart thing or smartest stupid thing out there. Except for snakes. You will also learn about why big snakes can suck it.

But again, crucially, you will definitely not learn, in in-depth detail, about the UK and US and Canada’s most ridiculous episode and all the farm animals and national grudges and logistics involved. (Hint: The Welsh and Irish were… petty. Which rules.)

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

Timmy Booth’s Manhole, as well as Andrew Frank’s two shows: Pastor! and Monkey Sermon are both so great. The two of them are so creative and funny, plus lovely people, I’m so so excited for people to discover them. Also, Ashley Gutermuth! We did shows together all the time until she had to move to the East Coast, and I just found out this week she’s doing Edinburgh too!

Otherwise, looking forward to some of the people I met the first time I did stand-up in the UK back in 2019: Alex Kitson, Louise Leigh, Helen Bauer (whose profile has deservedly skyrocketed since we met – she’s stupidly funny), and some of those I saw last year. That includes Burt Williamson and Alfie Packham, who both crushed when I saw them in well-lit rooms in the middle of the afternoon, which any comedian can tell you is almost impossible.

Lastly, of the higher profile acts, there’s a lot of New Zealanders I’m stoked as crap for. Guy Montgomery, Rose Matafeo, the Williamses (how do you pluralize “Williams”?), Alice Snedden, Two Hearts, Ray O’Leary… I feel like that country just produces a disproportionate amount of weirdly funny people. I love it.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!