“Where else would you be able to see an entire show on legs or an entire show on limes which later involved resurrecting a lime after the lime broke as a Frankenlime’s monster.”
WHO: Stephen Catling
WHAT: “How do you recover from heartbreak or loss when you are an autistic depressed little slug? This triple-A comic (Alternative, Autistic and Award-winning (Keep It Fringe 2023)) reflects on this conundrum like the irredeemable clown that he is. Nominated for the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality and the Actually Autistic Excellence Award, who knows what this horrid gastropod has in store (possibly an exorcism on himself?). ‘A delectable, messy and wild amuse-bouche of zany absurdist comedy’ ***** (@TheCrumb_Reviews). ‘His absurdist performance is a joy and a masterclass in play’ **** (NeurodiverseReview.co.uk).”
WHERE: The Attic at Laughing Horse @ The Counting House (Venue 170)
WHEN: 19:30 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
I have been performing at the festival for many years and attended longer but this is my second full run at the fringe. The Edinburgh fringe is perhaps one of the most marvellous festivals in both the country and the world. In many parts of the circuit outside of the festivals promoters want what is safe but safe is not always the most interesting, unique or funniest. For example where else would you be able to see an entire show on legs or an entire show on limes which later involved resurrecting a lime after the lime broke as a Frankenlime’s monster.
As a punter the festival is a smorgasbord of delights filled to the brim with much creativity and excellence, some will will be highly refined and excellent while some with be rough around the edges, messy (literally or metaphorically) and all the more memorable for it.
As a comic performing it is a chance to see so many of my friends that I love dearly as lived in Scotland, the north of England and London at various stages of my life and comedy career so seeing peers i do not seen often is a delight, I might be saying hello to another friend every few minutes I am walking around the streets of Edinburgh and I meet many other new and wonderful people and make even more friends as my friends introduce me to friends i have not had the pleasure of meeting and vice versa.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
That your partner breaking up with you does not mean have to mean they no longer care for you or that they cannot be your friend. This is an important lesson I learnt from this year and while it really has meant I have had to make alterations to the show, I say knowing she still wants the best for me does fill me with hope for future relationships as well as our present.
The other lesson I am learning is sometimes you can offer people something really amazing but they won’t appreciate what you are offering them and that is their loss not yours. Just show appreciation if they have acknowledged you and walk away to someone who will value your work. No point wasting time and energy on those who won’t give you the time of day.
It’s ok to ask and enquire you might get an opportunity to really shine further down the road. I am also really beginning to understand a lesson that a mentor taught me that audiences enjoy things differently and that is ok, for example I have had reviewers loved my shows even when I thought they absolutely hated it (some people are really just hard to read).
Tell us about your show.
Moving on…really really slowly (which originally i was going to call slugs , depression and demonic possession) is a absurdist take on mental health ,depression and heartbreak. I wrote a joke on social media about since my last show ended with me getting water-boarded with honey (a process I affectionally call bee-kake), would it not be funny if i started the new show crawling onto the stage as a slug ?
Many of my peers agreed this was funny so i thought what does a slug best represent ? the answer is the slow and painful process of healing from loss which I had quite the significant inspiration as I was dumped by an ex-fiancé in a particularly unpleasant way. In contrast my more recent ex-partner while did split up with me, she chose to be kind and still caring in the way she did it and this show will explore these relationships.
The show will also feature many of weird and wonderful things including an exorcism of sorts , a man with owls for hands as well as commentary of autism and mental health and relationships.
I have taken the show to many festivals before fringe including Leicester, Brighton Fringe as well as having the honour of being part of the first ever Derby comedy festival and Rik Mayall comedy festivals.
My director Phil Green ( @philgreencomedy) agrees that this show has potential to even surpass beehavioural problems something something autism (my 2023 show) which considering that show got me the keep it fringe award (thankyou @phoebewallerbr1), a recommendation of from @BritishComedy , and nominations for awards for @NDSreview and the malcom hardee award for originality is saying something.
Once I have done with fringe I have no concrete plans beyond doing @NottsComedyFest, however I would like it to go to some cities it has not visited and perhaps with some luck at soho theatre.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Su Mi: THISMOTHERPHUCKER- go see her and here is why, Su like myself is a fellow alternative comedian who like how I wish to break the mold with autism stereotypes she wishes to do the same for Queer, Female Asian comics.
She is a incredibly wacky comedian and has many strings on her bow except it is a guitar (she is also a musician and a great musical comic on top of a drag-king and stand-up). @sumicomedy
Phil Green: A Broken Man’s Guide to Fixing Others- the man is not my director for nothing , Phil has made many great shows that features fantastic story telling and joke-writing being able to balance topics such as mental health and witty analysis on life.
Ellen Turnill Montoya is Mr Handsome- an entire show where the comic’s character is a human sized hand, if this is not enough for me to convince you the show is also being produced by my lovely friend Charlie Miller and directed my the grandmasters of weirdos comedy Adam Larter who has produced and made many great shows himself. @weirdoscomedy
Lachlan Werner: WonderTwunk- I saw there last show and it was fantastic, he is an excellent ventriloquist and clown with a brilliant imagination and his charm is only surpassed by his range as performer and is truly a one man variety show. @LachyWerner
Andrew O’Neill: Escape & Andrew O’Neill’s History of Punk- a personal hero of mine and an excellent performer, I saw their Escape show at Leicester and it was fantastic as well as touching (I spoil it no more than that). Now I have not seen their history of punk but if it is anything like their history of metal it will be a absolute riot. @destructo9000
Joe Kent-walters- A comic genius and a beautiful madman, a true master of being able to play with the audience , he one the newcomer award last year and was named as a rising star to see by rolling stone and when you see him you will understand why. @joekentwalters
Biscuit Barrel: The 69-Sketch Show – fast paced, laughs a minute , high energy sketch show, i don’t if it was exactly 69 sketches as i lost track due to laughter. @barrel_biscuit
Nate Kitch: Something Different!!!!!A fellow comic who is after my own heart with his ripping of the rulebook of comedy and pushing the envelope of what a comedy show can be.@natekitch
Holly Spillar: Tall Child -an ethereal singing voice that captures many emotions. She captures madness, she captures joy ,you will laugh , you will cry and you will cry with laughter.@HollyJoySpills
And if you are still stuck for choice or want to find more shows The alternative comedy memorial society @AltComMemSoc has a variety of acts of all sorts of comedy genres on their nights with their own brochure of recommended acts on their site.
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