“It’s that hybrid style of funny, but also very moving that I think Edinburgh audiences love.”
WHO: Tom Moran
WHAT: “What’s the worst lie you’ve told? How far would you go to keep it a secret? Tom is a charismatic people-pleaser, an expert in empathy, but someone who struggles with the truth. Join him in this hilariously honest solo show as he seeks to exorcise ghosts, confess his deepest darkest secrets and somehow un-f*ck his future. As Tom begs the question, if I never lied again and was just myself, would any of my loved ones still love me? ‘The most searingly honest and moving show of the year’ ***** (TheArtsReview.com).”
WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Below (Venue 33)
WHEN: 15:10 (60 min)
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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
As an Irish writer-performer, Ediburgh Fringe was always the dream, so we’re incredibly buzzed to be at The Pleasance Courtyard. We debuted the show at Dublin Fringe in 2022, where we were lucky enough to win The Fishamble New Writing Award, so we were always really hopeful that Edinburgh Fringe would be the next step, so I can’t believe it’s finally happening. It’s such an iconic festival where so many of my heroes have performed, and our show was designed with this festival in mind. It’s that hybrid style of funny, but also very moving that I think Edinburgh audiences love.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
Having debuted the show in 2022, the big lesson I’ve learnt is being honest is… kind of great. Okay, don’t get me wrong. It also hard, and scary, and embarrassing, especially when you’ve done things you’re not proud of. But it’s also really freeing to tell an audience your secrets and have them like you even more after. I think it’s that thing of accepting the fact that all of us have moments and secrets we’re ashamed of. But that’s what makes us human, those messy nuances, and that’s what makes all of us the same. Human beings only lie in the presence of shame, so if you want to stop lying, you have to tackle that shame. And that’s what I’m trying to improve at, really. To trust who I am is enough.
Tell us about your show.
The play is written and performed by Tom Moran, a writer-performer from Dublin, Ireland. It’s direction and dramaturgy is by Davey Kelleher, the most phenomenally smart and kind collaborator you could have, and is produced by Lisa Nally, a literal angel, who is very good at sending fast emails. We were incredibly luck to preview before the fringe in Dublin for a run at The Project Arts Centre, and Belfast for a run in The Lyric, too. So we’re well-primed for Edinburgh and hope to bring the show far and wide off the back of the Fringe. Our dream for the show would be a run in London. I’ve always loved The Soho, so I’ll stick that on the vision board. And beyond that, we’d love to go to the US and Australia and really, wherever will have us. On top of that, the play is being adapted for TV towards an 8X30 Comedy Drama series, so it’s really great to have people see the play and hopefully track it’s growth from there.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
I’m going to lean heavily on the Irish stuff here because there’s so much amazing quality headed over this year. First off, Lie Low by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth at The Traverse, which is a fascinating character study. The incredible Fishamble have two gorgeous shows, Heaven and King, both equally brilliant pieces of new Irish writing. ThisIsPopBaby will be there with the phenomenal, Party Scene, which is messy and wild and completely unfiltered. Skelpie Limmer will be there with Scaredy Fat which I loved for all it’s campness and genre-blending fun and craic. And Alice Malseed’s The Half Moon is highly anticipated at Pleasance, which sounds like a proper, authentic Belfast story. That’s not to mention Growler, a riotous rom, Coffee Kid, for fans of George Clooney and costumes, and Best Man, for anyone who’s experienced a meltdown at a wedding or while doing public speaking. Some other acts I’m excited for are Mike Rice for all his hilarious and unfiltered ramblings, Shane Daniel Byrne, for amazing gags (and hopefully the splits), Aidan Greene for his brilliant brand of observational comedy, Vittorio Angelone for being the king of crowdwork, and Eva O’Connor, a fringe favourite with her brand new show, Chicken. And lastly, a tokenary American, Mike Birbiglia, my hero when it comes to solo shows.
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