Author Archives: Dan Lentell

+3 Interview: Super Hugh-Man

Posted in *Written Interviews, Plus 3 2019 – Features by

“I have a few festivals booked for when I get home but I have massive dreams to tour internationally, sharing this uniquely Kiwi story.”

WHO: Rutene Spooner: Actor, Writer

WHAT: “A Maori boy’s musical about his Hollywood hero. An award-winning solo cabaret following the personal journey of a young Maori boy wanting to fit into a world he has no blueprint for. After discovering his hero Hugh Jackman’s secret identity, he comes to realise that it’s okay to be a different kind of man – that he can be strong and sensitive, he can haka and high kick, he can be fierce and fabulous. A shamelessly charming and heartfelt story, intricately weaving together comedy, storytelling, dance, song and Maori cultural/performing arts into a stunning cabaret experience.”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Studios – Three (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 12:50 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second time playing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I came over in 2017 with The Modern Māori Quartet and literally fell in love with the festival. True story. I got home after the festival and declared – YES DECLARED – that anyone working in the arts MUST visit the festival some point in their life. It’s a long way from NZ but I’m back this year, again with The Modern Māori Quartet but also, with my own solo show which I’m super stoked about.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

Well, I was set to return to the festival in 2018 with the Modern Māori Quartet (this being their third year performing at the festival) but I landed a contract in the musical Jerseys Boys in Australia. So you could say that was the biggest thing that happened to me sings 2018 fest.

Tell us about your show.

Well, funny thing is, I wrote this show in 2017 straight AFTER my first visit to the festival. I returned home so inspired that I wrote a show, It played as part of the Auckland Live Cabaret Festival, it toured, it got great reviews, and even awards and now, well here we are! We’ve come full circle you could say. My director, Jennifer Ward-Lealand CNZM, a well respected veteran of the Arts and President of the NZ Actors Equity has been with me from the start and I am currently being produced by the powerhouse company that is SquareSums and Co. I have a few festivals booked for when I get home but I have massive dreams to tour internationally, sharing this uniquely Kiwi story.

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

Of course, I’m going to steer audiences more towards New Zealand works. For a small country, we have some great exports and the festival has helped catapult some great NZ made art. Remember Flight Of The Concords? they’re kiwi, they also played the festival for years. This year we have a great contingent of kiwi comedians returning to the fest. As well as my mates at Trick Of The Light theatre co and Slightly Isolated Dog who continue to bring great kiwi work to the world stage. But OF COURSE I’m going to say, come and see ME, AGAIN, join the Modern Māori Quartet in their theatre show “Two worlds”.

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+3 Interview: John Pendal: Monster

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“I was asked to go to Pinewood Studios for a very small part in a very big film. Someone on the crew remembered me from “Assassin’s Creed”, when I spent a week tying Michael Fassbender to a table to be put to death.”

WHO: John Pendal: Writer & performer

WHAT: “The critically acclaimed storyteller and stand-up comedian returns with a show about sex and sexuality, which laughs in the face of shame and guilt. Monster is aimed at anyone struggling to feel good about themselves. Since beginning his career in stand-up comedy in 2010, John has performed around the world. His first three shows went on to tour Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Edmonton, Fort Lauderdale, Melbourne, Oslo and Rome. ‘An absolute cracker… Fringe brilliance’ ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Hilarious… Definitely not to be missed’ **** (VoiceMag.uk).”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Turret (Venue 14) 

WHEN: 19:45 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my 6th Edinburgh fringe and my 4th performing a solo show for the whole run. I love the fringe – where else can you see so many great comedians all in one place and eat the best hog roast in the country? (www.oinkhogroast.co.uk if you’re interested.)

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

I was asked to go to Pinewood Studios for a very small part in a very big film. Someone on the crew remembered me from “Assassin’s Creed”, when I spent a week tying Michael Fassbender to a table to be put to death. I’m not allowed to tell you anything about the movie but I will be going to see it next year to find out if I made the final cut.

Tell us about your show.

It’s called “Monster” and it’s a comedy show about all the things that keep me awake at night with a sense of guilt and shame – with the aim of making audiences feel better about themselves. I wrote it and perform it, although I’m indebted to everyone who came to a preview and gave me feedback – so it feels like a real team effort.

The shows are accessible to people who are “socially anxious”, so I don’t pick on the audience. If you leave during the show I won’t make fun of you – and there’s no audience participation beyond laughter and applause.

It’s been tried out around the UK plus Atlanta and West Palm Beach, Florida. Edinburgh is the first official run of the show. After that I’m hoping to take it to more audiences abroad as my previous shows have gone to America, Canada, Melbourne, Oslo and Rome. I’m always open to offers to go somewhere new!

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

Definitely “Jen Brister – Under Privilege” at Monkey Barrel. Each time Jen brings a show to Edinburgh I see it three times over the month to keep me going. I have to sit at the back so it doesn’t look like I’m stalking her.

I’ll be going to see “Laura Lexx: Knee Jerk” at Gilded Balloon – Teviot. She is delightfully funny and always makes me cry with laughter.

And “Zoe Lyons: Entry Level Human”, also at Gilded Balloon – Teviot at 9pm. Star of Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week, just brilliant.

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+3 Interview: The Three Deaths of Ebony Black

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“I have a deep love for mushrooms, of all varieties. This comes after 26 years of thinking they’re disgusting. Now I’m all about them. Oyster, enoki, shimeji, shiitake. They’re all so good!”

WHO: Amberly Cull: Writer/Performer

WHAT: “A critically acclaimed puppet musical, inspired by a neuroscientist. ‘There are three deaths: the first is when the body ceases to function. The second is when the body is consigned to the grave. The third is that moment, sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the last time’. Described as Death at a Funeral meets The Muppets, this intimate spectacle is as impressive as it is tender… with songs and vomiting puppets to boot! Three acts, ten puppets, one corpse. An unforgettable farce and a love letter to lives well lived.”

WHERE: Underbelly, Bristo Square – Daisy (Venue 302) 

WHEN: 16:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s our first time! Our first time in Scotland, our first time in Edinburgh, our first time at the festival, and the first chance I’ve had to actually meet my Scottish pen-pal of many many years. I’m so excited to get rained out in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Well, almost ready. I definitely need to invest in some rain pants.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

Well lots. I just spent 100 days being a dinosaur for Earth’s giant puppets at Melbourne Zoo (they’re gonna be in Edinburgh too!). So that was huge and fun and a constant workout. I also realised I have a deep love for mushrooms, of all varieties. This comes after 26 years of thinking they’re disgusting. Now I’m all about them. Oyster, enoki, shimeji, shiitake. They’re all so good!

Tell us about your show.

The title makes it sound more serious than it is. It’s a comedy, with puppets, made for adults… about death.

We’ve performed the show at FringeWorld in Perth, Australia, two years running, and we did an independent season in Melbourne.

I wrote the script, and my friend Robert Woods wrote the score (which includes a few bangin’ songs we get the puppets to sing). Then I cast Perth darling, Nick Pages-Oliver to perform alongside me. He is my perfect foil, and great with the puppetry and the irreverent, relentless repartee.

We got a hot tip from some seasoned Fringe friends, and were so lucky to get Lee Martin of Gag Reflex onboard to produce our debut Edinburgh season.

It’s a really sweet show, but mostly it’s silly and wild and feels super loose, like a rickety rollercoaster. But everyone is safe, and it’s just quite joyous, and we want to bring everyone in to share the joy.

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

We know a few people from Australia who are doing good shows. Louisa Fitzhardinge is one of my best friends, and she has an incredible cabaret about grammar called Comma Sutra, which is making its Edinburgh debut. We have some musical friends who made Switch Witchetty’s Almanac of Everything, which is making its everywhere debut. And Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo will be incredible of course. We might know some other Aussie artists who are going and we don’t know they’re going yet.

But really, I hope you’ll consider seeing something you know nothing about, from people who are new to Edinburgh. Like us, sure. But like lots of other emerging artists too, who are making great things, and just need punters to take a chance on them. I hope you’ll take more chances after seeing our show!

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+3 Interview: Brendan Galileo for Europe

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“In many ways the explosion of ideas an energy that people experience at the Fringe is what fuels the other eleven months of the year, for artists and audience alike.”

WHO: Fionn Foley: Writer and Performer

WHAT: “Brendan Galileo is determined to make his mark on Irish political life and save the local school of music from being converted into apartments for racehorses, by joining the ranks of the European Parliament. However, with his voice so lost in a sea of tribal bureaucracy, he must take drastic action to improve his public profile. He must represent his country in the most vicious diplomatic catfight on the continent, the Eurovision Song Contest. A hilarious multi award-winning new play by Fionn Foley about keeping your integrity at the world’s foremost convention of kitsch.”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Studios – Five (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 13:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my first time performing at the Fringe, though I have been to Edinburgh a number of times- and at the Fringe. It really is one of the most joyous, eclectic and continually surprising places on the planet. In many ways the explosion of ideas an energy that people experience at the Fringe is what fuels the other eleven months of the year, for artists and audience alike.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

I suppose what’s been particularly exciting is that when I attended the festival last year, the idea for Brendan Galileo for Europe was quietly percolating away. It’s an excellent place to be when you have the nucleus of a show in your head because inevitably to begin to pick up little fragments of inspiration or think about things in a different way. Like a wet dog running wildly through a hayfield, you come back with covered in bits of the experience scattered everywhere. So if you see a guy running around Princes Street covered in hay, that’s me trying to justify this allegory.

Tell us about your show.

I am the writer and performer of Brendan Galileo for Europe. We have a great team on board consisting of director Jeda de Brí, Stage Manager Sinéad Purcell and Producer and Lighting Designer David Doyle. The show was a big hit in Dublin Fringe Festival 2018, where it picked up two awards, and we’ve just finished a National Tour of Ireland. We’re really excited to take it to Assembly and think it’ll go down really well with audiences who are looking for something energetic and zany, but who also appreciate political satire and a healthy injection of musical comedy. With audience reactions as overwhelmingly positive as they have been, we hope the show will have a long life at home and abroad. It’s always a thrill to perform and we predict it will really feel at home in Edinburgh.

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

They might need a bit of a rest briefly straight after- I certainly will as it’s a really high tempo performance. But I can definitely recommend some other brilliant shows that will also be Edinburgh-bound. Sarah-Jane Scott’s Appropriate at Summerhall is an absolute gem, as is Xnthony’s Confirmation at Pleasance. I’m personally very excited to see A Holy Show (Pleasance) and Tommy Tiernan at the Gilded Balloon. I also caught Electrolyte (Pleasance) recently, which you’d be mad to miss.

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+3 Interview: Nick Everritt: The Deconstruction

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“I’ve finally got some stuff to put on a poster that doesn’t make me die a little inside.”

WHO: Nick Everritt: Performer

WHAT: “Watch in awe as a man in a suit demonstrates his mastery of every genre of comedy. Puns? I’ve got ’em. Satire? Sure! Observational comedy? Indubitably buddy. A wide range of miscellaneous comedic genres in which the tropes and cliches of comedy are deconstructed and subverted for the audience’s amusement? Well yes, that’s basically the premise of the show. ‘A droll, witty and very self-conscious deconstruction of comedy… Expect to see more of him’ (Chortle.co.uk). Laughing Horse New Act of the Year finalist 2018. Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off finalist 2019.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just the Spare Room (Venue 88) 

WHEN: 16:55 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Last year I was part of a split bill show ‘Robot vs Hurricane’, where I cut my teeth doing a full run at the Fringe. I also performed in The Free Association’s improv show ‘Jacuzii’. This is my first time taking a solo show to the Fringe, which promises to ramp up the pressure, fear, elation, despair and hubris compared to anything I’ve done in Edinburgh before.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

I had a decent run in the new act competitions this year, so I’ve finally got some stuff to put on a poster that doesn’t make me die a little inside. Laurel wreaths and everything! I’ve also crossed the arbitrary yet oft-quoted milestone of turning 30.

I wish I could tell you I’ve found love this year or changed my life for the better in a meaningful way outside the very narrow sphere of comedy, but that would be a damnable lie. Still, as least Spurs made it to the Champions League final.

Tell us about your show.

The show is a loving mockery of the tropes and conventions of stand-up comedy. I perform a range of comedy genres – puns, observational, political satire etc. – and get each of them completely wrong. It’s essentially a spoof of an Edinburgh hour, where I play a deadpan, humourless character who doesn’t quite get comedy.

Having come from an improv and character comedy background, when I first tried stand-up I was more comfortable performing as a monotonic, boring, besuited ‘character’ as opposed to performing as ‘myself’. I’m sure all (both) of my friends would agree that the real Nick is a very different beast indeed!

So if you’ve had enough of watching talented comedians delivering funny and heartfelt shows based on their lived experience, why not come along to my show and see a droll parody of what all those other comics are doing?

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

I can heartily endorse my comedy chums Lorna Shaw, Shivani Thussu and Flora Anderson who are all taking solo shows to the Fringe this year.

I’d also recommend taking a punt on some shows where you’ve no idea quite what to expect. You might just discover your new favourite comic, and you’ll want to come back and see their Fringe shows year after year. Or it might be so awful that it makes for a great anecdote, e.g. “Do you remember that time we saw a show where the comic pretended to be a racist clam for an hour, and not in an ironic way?” By all means go and see the big names and Fringe favourites – I certainly will be – but mix it up with a bit of mystery and peril. What have you got to lose aside from an hour and your will to live?

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+3 Interview: Lusty Mannequins: Uncommonwealth

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“We are proud of our baby, and excited to show it to the world, we are just hoping that people don’t think it’s got a smashed up face.”

WHO: Ashley Comeau: Performer

WHAT: “This ‘sure to sell out act’ (NOW Magazine) has four veteran performers with over 60 years combined comedy experience. Alastair Forbes, Ashley Comeau, Karen Parker and Connor Thompson are alumni of The Second City (the same comedy institution that birthed Tina Fey and Steve Carell). Equal parts emotional, wordy, and physical, The Lusty Mannequins deliver a 60-minute mischief-filled ride. ‘Lots of smart comedy with an impeccable sense of drama and surprise’ (NOW Magazine). Think Dylan Thomas throwing a cocktail party and Helena Bonham Carter, Kristen Wiig and Mr Bean showing up.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Sportsmans (Venue 14) 

WHEN: 15:00 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Karen Parker and I have been to Edinburgh Fringe Festival one time before. I directed Flo & Joan a few years back and we wanted to surprise them so we booked last minute ticket to Scotland (from Canada), picked out our disguises and booked tickets for their show. After going to the WRONG venue, we made it just in time, to sit, slouched behind two big men to hide ourselves. We couldn’t laugh out loud because they know our laughs, so we were covering our mouths and cackling into our shirts. We must’ve looked mad. We ended up pulling off the surprise and having the most wonderful 72 hours at the Fringe!

Connor and Alastair haven’t been and boy oh boy are we going to make them do ghost tours!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

I would say getting to perform both at Just For Laughs in Montreal and in Edinburgh Fringe in the same summer. Karen and I are leaving Montreal and coming straight to Scotland! It’s going to be a ride!

Also – (and this is from our press kit), but Sting crashed our photoshoot – it was wild! He walked right up saying “Are you the Lusty Mannequins?”. It was a real dream moment.

Tell us about your show.

Our show is a sketch comedy revue, written by the four of us – Ashley Comeau, Alastair Forbes, Karen Parker and Connor Thompson (all Second City Mainstage Alumni). Lots of different scenes, covering several different topics – using all different kinds of comedy. We called it UNCOMMONWEALTH to mock about the fact that Canada (where we are from) is part of the Commonwealth, and to point out the humour in the unequal distribution of wealth across all forms.

We are self-producing so please tell everyone about the show.

The troupe started ten years ago with just Connor and myself and over the past few years, Alastair and Karen were added. We are all best friends (two of us married), who have dark sensibilities, funny brains and charmingly awkward personalities. We are JACKED UP over debuting this show at Edinburgh Fringe! We are hoping to tour this show post Festival.

We are proud of our baby, and excited to show it to the world, we are just hoping that people don’t think it’s got a smashed up face.

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

Flo & Joan – Before The Screaming Starts (because they are the funniest people we have ever met and you’d be sad to miss it)

Songs in the Key of Cree (as part of the Canada Hub) – (because it is important to me to support Canada’s Indigenous artists and Tomson is absolutely brilliant).

Anesti Danelis: Six Frets Under, (a funny and talented musician and a downright sweet pea of a person)
The Big Gay Story Slam (I think it’s important to support LGBTQ+ stories and their allies!) (I am bi-sexual 🙂 )

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+3 Interview: George Egg: Movable Feast

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“The story is autobiographical and it does what it says on the tin. I have been telling these anecdotes in the pub for years.”

WHO: George Egg: Performer

WHAT: “Brand-new comedy from the stand-up who cooks on stage. In this show he’s on the road! It’s time for planes, trains and automob-meals (sorry). George demonstrates how to cook with an engine, procure items from the train buffet trolley and turn unexpected roadworks into a picnic. Three plates of gourmet food cooked live in the most unconventional ways and with the opportunity to taste the results at the end, provided you can stop laughing. ‘Brilliantly funny’ (Jay Rayner, Guardian). ‘Trust us, you won’t believe how good the food tastes’ (Scotsman).”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Gardens – Piccolo (Venue 3) 

WHEN: 16:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No it’s my fifth and my third solo show. I did my first comedy-with-cooking show in 2015 which was such a success (total sell out and won Spirit Of The Fringe) that I returned for a short run in 2016. I then came back with a second show for another full run in 2017 which was another total sell out so brought that back for a short run last year.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

Personally? My mum died. However this isn’t a dead-parent show, it’s a show about how to cook with a car engine, but a poem about my mum has snuck into it.

Tell us about your show.

I’m a total one-man-band, so I devised, wrote, directed and perform the show myself, as I have with all three shows I’ve brought to The Fringe. And all my shows have been along the same genre-splicing lines. It’s part stand-up comedy show, part illustrated lecture and part cookery demonstration. Over the course of the show I cook three plates of properly delicious gourmet food but I don’t use any conventional kitchen equipment. And then at the end the audience get to sample what I’ve cooked. If they want to, at their own risk of course. No pressure. The show is premiering in Edinburgh and then it’s of on tour around the UK.

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

Well I’m into food so I’m going to give some culinary-based recommendations. Go to the Cheesy Toast Shack, they do the best toasties and they’ve got a few stalls around George Square and Bristo Square. There’s also a brilliant restaurant called ‘Field’ on Nicolson Street where I had an amazing meal a couple of years ago. If you want meat go to Saunderson’s Butchers on Leven St, they’re the nicest folk and they give me free meat for the show. Dig-In Bruntsfield do excellent veg (they’re providing me with ingredients too). And for bread go to The Wee Boulangerie on Clerk St. And don’t miss the one-off show ‘Dan vs Food’ at The Pleasance on 14th August at 1:30pm.

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+3 Interview: Zach Zimmerman: Clean Comedy

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“I’m coming back to do the FULL MONTH and all the excitement, exhuastion, and sex that comes with that.”

WHO: Zach Zimmerman: Writer/Performer

WHAT: “My mom says I should focus on clean comedy for my career. F*ck that. Please join me, a Time Out New York Comic to Watch 2019 (stop it, I’m blushing) as I skewer my traumatic Southern Baptist childhood and equally painful gay NYC adulthood. It’s my debut hour at the Fringe, it’ll be equal parts adorable and hot, and will delight my mother in title only.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Dram (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 22:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes! Sorta! Last year, I decided at the last minute to visit the Fringe and throw up a show for the final week of the Fringe and see what the fest was all about. I had a blast, more sex than I planned for, and now I’m coming back to do the FULL MONTH and all the excitement, exhuastion, and sex that comes with that.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

I quit my job! And changed my anti-depressants! In that order!

Tell us about your show.

“Clean Comedy” is my fun stand-up hour about being gay in a Southern Baptist, evangelical home in Virginia, my (mis)adventures in love in Chicago and New York, and how my mom wishes I wouldn’t talk about any of that. If you’re wondering what it’s like to open for a drag queen, repress your sexuality, and get dumped on a plane…this is the show for you!

I wrote and performed it, some friends Carol and Rob Walport are helping me bring it to the Fringe, and it’s directed by the wonderful Dec Munro.

It’s 90% funny, 10% sad, and 100% fabulous.

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

After buying a ticket for all 26 performances of “Clean Comedy” at the Gilded Balloon, check out a few of my friends! Go see Golden Delicious’ drag show at CC Blooms, Mary Houlihan’s absurd play about dating Jack Nicholson, Dave Maher’s follow-up to his show about being in a coma, and Cat Cohen’s incredible musical madness.

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+3 Interview: Samantha Pressdee: Covered

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“It’s a story of resilience. How I took my power back and rebuilt my life, after ending up in a mental hospital five years ago.”

WHO: Samantha Pressdee: Comedian

WHAT: “The only thing crazier than Sammie was the welfare state supposed to be helping her! Getting your needs met in austerity Britain is a game of Russian roulette. Will she beat the system? ‘Excellent storytelling, very funny’ **** (One4Review.co.uk). ‘A lot of comedians talk the talk when it comes to demanding social change, but Samantha Pressdee walks the walk’ (Chortle.co.uk). ‘Cheeky jokes intertwined with a startlingly honest account of her struggles’ **** (Issuu.com/BunburyMagazine). ‘A socio-political and cultural butterfly’ **** (MumbleComedy.net). ‘Free-thinking, hard-hitting and anarchic, but delivered with a twinkle in the eye’ (Fringepig.co.uk). As seen on RT.”

WHERE: PQA Venues @Riddle’s Court – Q3 (Venue 277) 

WHEN: 16:00 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, this will be my sixth time at the fringe as a comedian. 7th in total. I first came with a play in 2013, and after seeing a few comedy shows my inner joker was awakened. I’m addicted to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Which is better than being on drugs, but probably more expensive!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

Nothing to do with my comedy, but I got to go backstage at The Royal Festival Hall and hang out with my teenage crush Zac, from the band Hanson. It was also quite nice to appear on RT’s Sputnik with George Galloway. It’s the first time I have been invited on television to talk about my comedy.

Tell us about your show.

It’s a story of resilience. How I took my power back and rebuilt my life, after ending up in a mental hospital five years ago. I wrote it and it’s produced by my social enterprise, Love Muffin Productions. Sounds a bit like a porn company but most of our revenue actually comes from psychic readings. Which is a different kind of intimacy. Phil Nichol is my director. Edinburgh is the premier, after nationwide previews and it is booked into The Blue Orange Theatre on World Mental Health Day as part of the Birmingham Comedy Festival in October.

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

I want to big up my fellow lunatics so Fern Brady: Power and Chaos. She’s a badass! Alfie Brown: Imagination, he is my comedy guru. Phil Nichol: Too Much, who is my comedy mom and the people who have joined my barmy army by participating in my mental health project Pulling It Together; Laura Lexx: Knee Jerk, Juliette Burton: Defined and Dave Chawner: Mental. Also my friend Mags McHugh in Black Sheep and my indigo sister Clare McCartney in Working-Class Progress with Backenders.

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+3 Interview: Stand-Up Poet

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“It’s sardonic, often, but also empathetic, cathartic or sometimes plain pissed off!”

WHO: Greg Byron: Writer/ performer

WHAT: “‘Excellent show’ (FringeReview.co.uk). Sardonic, comic, whimsical, sometimes just poignant or cathartic, but always ‘keeps you constantly engaged’ (Kansas City Star) delivering verses on life, the universe and everything… ‘There’s a power in both the words and delivery’ (FringeReview.co.uk). ‘A fully licensed wordsmith. A man with a brilliant turn of phrase… Sharp and witty, the nuances of tone, intonation, timing, body language and facial cues give canyons of depth’ ***** (RAW). ‘A wonderful wandering bard’ (BarefootReview.com.au). ‘Defying classification, Byron leaves us wanting more’ (BroadwayWorld.com). ‘Like watching John Cooper Clarke snog John Hegley while Pam Ayres watches’ (BBC Radio Sussex).”

WHERE: Imagination Workshop – Princes Suite (Venue 119) 

WHEN: 19:00 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It isn’t – it’s my third visit doing poetry, but first not in Assembly – I’m down on George Street this year, among the crowds – not aloof and up the vast amount of steps halfway up The Mound.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

I took my previous show to Adelaide in Australia, and was offered a job there – which I turned down!

Tell us about your show.

I wrote it – it’s called “Stand-Up Poet” not because it’s all funny (though some of it is plain silly) but because it’s the closest description I could think of to describe what I do! It’s sardonic, often, but also empathetic, cathartic or sometimes plain pissed off! I can’t stand lies from politicians and the state the world’s in – and I think that comes across whether I’m talking about the USA, plastic pollution or trophy wives. Still – we also need humour more than ever.

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

Loud Poets – always good!
Edalia Day at Zoo – “Too Pretty To Punch” – no idea but the trailer looks fab!
Bible John from “Poor Michelle” – promising new writing
Pip Utton – at Pleasance

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