Laughing Horse @ The Cellar Monkey Aug 3-27 (13.15)
Material: Delivery: Laughs:
Running through the rain to make it to Jen Wakefield’s Girl In Da Corner, I thought I was going to a standard comedy show. What I found was a truly intelligent art performance which taught me about the experience of being a mixed race person in Britain, 2017. Between tossing out the Grime Outreach program & uncannily natural Indian accents (well, she is half-Indian) her show was completely fun, like flipping through channels on TV; the main character, who is like the host of all of these channels, was the wide-eyed, open-hearted Natasha G-Storm Flex. Through this particular avatar, Jen performs some original Grime songs, whose snazzy couplets are packed full of meaning and melody performed with the startling vivacity of her youth. Through all the characters she presents we see the pressure exerted by society to be ‘normal;’ Jen easily shows that it is best to be ourselves, but it is hard to be yourself when people are constantly asking you why you look different. She is a smart cookie, culturally verteux, a fan of both the Arctic Monkeys & Steely Dan, & one cannot help but notice her intelligence blossoming into a dogmatic sense of humor. In a recent interview with The Mumble, Jen talks about her show as being;
A character comedy show about identity and explores the mixed-race experience that I’ve had. I wrote an article titled Sorry, you’re label has expired about growing up identifying as Anglo-Indian and found it was met with a greater response than expected. Lots of people contacted me to share their similar experiences, so I thought it might be a topical piece to explore in a show, and I hope there might be other people who can identify with the content or it may spark a conversation.
Jen made me question my place of privilege in society, being a white male. While I consider myself to be a very strange person, I am lucky to be able to hide my strangeness behind the body I was born into and which no-one questions as being outside the ordinary. The show gave me empathy for what Jen and other people of mixed race truly experience in life. Jen, a self-confessed ‘jack of all races master of none,’ makes a good connection with the audience, her singing and overall performance skills are elegantly cool and the content of the show is rich in important thoughts about identity. Here in Edinburgh, a lot of the natives are comfortable in their cultural awareness – they visit the Mela once a year, for example – but 45 minutes with Jen Wakefield gives us a direct hotline into the mixed maelstrom that is the global planet, & is worth perhaps a decade’s worth of Melas.
So where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
Born and bred in Sydney I’ve been based in London for the last 8 years. I found myself there by accident to be honest. After finishing two and a half years of acting training in Sydney, I toured the country for a year in a two-hander for high school audiences. When that finished I flew over to the UK for an audition, fell in love with a man and never came home.
When did you first realise you could, well, clown about?
After about 10 years working as an actor and singer on other peoples’ projects, a friend took me to see Peta Lily’s one-woman show, ‘Invocation’, and I was blown away! I was having a drink with her afterwards when she mentioned she was running a clown workshop the following weekend. Never one to run from a challenge I had to check it out! Needless to say I was terrible, but I fell in love with the honesty and vulnerability of the clown. 5 years later I’ve worked with several inspirational comedy directors and teachers, and studied at the Ecole Philippe Gaulier in France. As this is my first solo clown-inspired show, I guess you could say that I’m discovering it as we speak. After all it’s the audience who decides if I’m any good!
What is it about performing live you love the most?
‘Odette!’, has lots of audience interaction which is great fun – you never know what they’re is going to do next! I love that through playing her my natural quirkiness and silliness is amplified, and it’s just brilliant that the audience comes with me into the world of melodrama and American TV glamour. For me, though, the most wonderful things about performing live as Odette are the little games I discover with the audience every night – from the moment I see a sparkle of cheekiness in someone’s eye I know it’s going to be a good show!
What does Marina Margarita like to do when she’s not entertaining the public?
I love travelling! Croatia and Berlin are top of my list of places to go back to and I’m hoping to check out South East Asia and South America next. Another passion of mine is cooking so when I can combine the two I’m in heaven. Throw in summer sun, a jug of Pimms and a picnic blanket and I couldn’t be happier!
You are a graduate of French comedy and theatre school ‘Ecole Philippe Gaulier,’ can you describe the experience of studying at such a famous comedic institution? ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’. Nah, just joking, it was without a doubt one of the best decisions I’ve made. I mean it’s not without its challenges and crises of confidence; Philippe says exactly what he thinks and doesn’t hold back when he’s anything less than impressed, but if you’re training to make it in one of the most competitive industries there is, you want nothing less than the truth right? One of the most frustrating moments for me at the school came in the weeks following 20 minutes of success I’d had in the clowning module. Philippe told me to present that same piece every week until the end of term but no matter how much work I put into it, each week I was met by stony silence – no one found it remotely funny. What had happened? What was I doing differently? Eventually after 3 weeks Philippe forbade me to try that particular number ever again, informing me that ‘you are boring, you push too much’ and ‘you are an unreliable clown’ – devastating! I wasn’t allowed to perform in the week-long clown show at the end of term despite presenting a multitude of new numbers and when he finally agreed to let me on the stage to try a cream pie splat in the face routine….it worked! The class was in stitches! Begrudgingly Philippe accepted me into the line up for the public showing that evening – maybe I wasn’t so terrible after all! 10 minutes later, however, he changed his mind, saying he didn’t ‘trust me to be funny a second time’. And that was that. No clown show for me! Thankfully I came back the following term to study farce and it was a different story – turns out pretty dresses, flamboyant characters and running around in high heels is my thing!
Which clowns have inspired you?
There are so many amazing clowns out there – lots of them at the Edinburgh fringe, lucky us! Lucy Hopkins is a dear friend and very much an inspiration both in life and art. (Powerful Women are About’, 5pm, Heroes @ The Hive) You can’t go past Spencer Jones for good old fashioned silliness. (The Audition’, 6:20pm, Heroes @ Monkey Barrel) I’ve also learned a hell of a lot from watching the legends that are Marny Godden (Marny Godden is One Tooth, 3:45, Heroes @ The Hive), Red Bastard (Lie With Me, 9:30pm, Pleasance Courtyard), and The Establishment (The Establishment: Eton Mess, 5pm, Assembly George Square Theatre).
You are also a dab hand at singing, what are the overlapping artistic sensibilities between the clown & that of the vocal performer?
The idea of the clown is that they’re terrible at everything but say a whole-hearted ‘yes’ to every opportunity that comes their way and then make it up on the spot. It’s been lots of fun finding moments for Odette to sing in the show and playing with the fact that she sings well – a little surprise for the audience every now and again! While both the clown and the singer need to be sensitive and generous to their audience, I love playing with the dichotomy of the singer being a genuine professional and the clown pretending to know what they’re doing despite being absolutely clueless!
You are bringing your show ‘Odette!’ to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it?
Clown inspired character comedy, ‘Odette!’ tells the story of a ballsy, brash, heavily pregnant Aussie cleaning lady with big dreams of romance and stardom on cheesy American daytime TV soap ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’. It’s playful and fun, moving in parts, and unashamedly OTT. Oh, and there are a few songs thrown in for good measure!
How did you select your material for Odette?
A mother of 4, my Mum had a lot on her plate when we were kids so Portuguese mother and daughter team, Odette and Erbelina, used to come and clean the house for us every few weeks. When I was first toying with the idea of Odette as a character I recorded several Spanish and Portuguese friends to try and develop a convincing accent but the minute I stepped on stage in character, a broad ocker Aussie voice came out! I’ve had a ball developing the show through trying 10 – 20 minutes at various comedy cabarets across London. She hasn’t always brought the house down, but I’ve kept all the bits that have and woven them into the show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
Can you sum up your show in a single sentence?
Heavily pregnant and hormonal Odette, the Aussie cleaning lady everyone loves to love, floats on soap opera bubbles and shakes her booty to win the heart of super star Ridge at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
What does the rest of 2017 hold in store for Marina Margarita?
As soon as I get back to London, I’ll head straight into rehearsal for ‘By Way of Pain’ at the Corby Cube. I’ll be playing Myra Hindley, quite the jump from the silliness of Odettte! 2018 will be a big year for ‘Odette!’ starting off in Bristol in January and then on tour to Australia.
The Principal Aug 4-7, 9-14, 16-21, 23-28 (Times Vary)
Material: Delivery: Laughs:
The institution that is Faulty Towers the Dining Experience & its nestling itself into the psyches of the Edinburgh Festival goer was established, it may surprise any, only ten years ago. Ten years before that, the show itself was born, so it was clearly time for a big ‘ol party, & so I found myself in the rather swanky main function hall of the Principal Hotel. Our merry geishas for the evening were Basil & Sibyl Faulty, & Manuel from Barcelona, who like missionaries of the sacred genius of John Cleese bring the Holy Sermon on Torquay Mount to all corners of the globe. I’ve seen Faulty in Edinburgh before, at the rather tuna-jammed B’est Restaurant, but moving the show to the Principal is a stroke of clear genius; the chrysalis has cracked, the jack is out of the box, the spaniel is off its leash, because like a student on a gap year this show suddenly has so much more space in which to weave its magic. The overall content is rather much the same as always, with a couple of new gags tossed into the mix here & there, but what is different is the ambience – its just soooooo much better. I mean it was good before, or at least the idea was good, but when the actors are given a chance to express themselves in such a large & lovely room, with better lighting & acoustics, it really is a pleasure to be there. Indeed, Faulty Towers @ the Principal passed my personal litmus test of quality, for I got lost in the moment & suddenly found myself gawping at the proceedings with an inane grin on my face.
All three of the cast were great, Basil was top notch & Sibyl was just the laugh short of perfection, but it was James Heatlie as bumbling Manuel who especially pulled off a cheeky star turn. In a recent interview with the Mumble, he described the key ingredients to a good show;
I think the main ingredient is the audience, we honestly couldn’t do it without them. Seriously though, the audience are really the collective fourth actor in the room and they really make the show with their wonderful sense of adventure and fun. The other ingredients would have to be the other three actors and then some food to make sense of the title.
The vibe at Faulty Towers is great, in your face but gentle, the food rather tasty, & the circular tables perfectly conducive for generating conversation. Hilariously funny, while at the same time paying a keen homage to one of the all-time comedic great shows, Faulty goes from strength to strength, & when your wife’s knickers end up on Basil Faulty’s head (as did mine in the show we attended) you know you’ve had a good night.
Having performed at the Fringe every year since 2010, Nathan Cassidy’s stage presence exudes comedic professionalism and experience. One admires Mr Cassidy in the same way one admires a great boulder balancing on the edge of a cliff, delivering rock-solid hilarity in the same way that said boulder has taken up its space on earth for aeons. In an earlier interview with the Mumble, Cassidy described his show as being, ‘about bravery in a volatile world.‘ Nathan uses the topics of terrorism, pop culture and fatherhood to explore his subject; the humor is subtle, using slight plays of language which may catch you off your guard, but sometimes explores grand themes such as the terrible events like 9/11 – certainly a brave subject to approach – and by shaking us out of our fear of saying the wrong thing about the tragedy, we can gain new perspectives on these historical events and have a darn good time doing it.
Nathan Cassidy is true, vulnerable and genuine & I had a steady stream of laughter going on throughout Nathan’s performance. Afterwards, I have kept thinking about the topics he covered, his show goes deeper than just having a laugh. I think Nathan is an authentic example of bravery for us all because he dares to go on stage and show us what he, in particular, was put on this earth to do. To see Nathan being his true self gives me courage to find my own calling in life and to be who I am capable of being. To gain such life-assuring convictions or to have a good laugh, don’t miss Nathan Cassidy every evening at the Free Sisters at 19.45.
Hello Andy, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking? Andy : I am currently living in Farnham in Surrey, which is also where I am from. I moved back there from London when we were going to have a baby.
When did you first realise you were, well, funny?
I’ve always been a cheeky git, and I think that playfulness is important in comedy. One of my teachers genuinely write in a school report that “Andy is a wit. Or at least he thinks he is.” That says it all really!
Who are your comedy idols?
I’ve generally always been more of a sitcom fan than of stand-up. John Sullivan who wrote Only Fools & Horses is my favourite writer, a briliantly bittersweet tone to everything he does. In terms of stand-ups, I like the best one-liner guys and I am a fan of Neil Hamburger, although he is actually appalling at the same time.
You incorporate a guitar into your performance, what’s the back story? Andy : I’m a singer/songwriter, was full-time for a number of years and always enjoyed the bits in between songs where I chatted to the crowd and indulged in some gentle banter. I love writing songs, and so it seemed a natural progression when I wanted to try comedy.
What does Andy Stedman like to do when he’s not being entertaining? Andy : Well apart from being a new dad to the relentless Freddie, I have always loved football and cricket. I am a massive music fan, and an Elvis nut. Freddie’s middle name is Elvis. I also like poker, and I run a dodgeball business which is a nice way to help build up the comedy career financially. Don’t give up the day job they say…
What is it about performing live you love the most? Andy : I love the immediate reaction of an audience. Connecting with people. i don’t have a script at all, although I know what i am generally going to say and have edited it down a lot. I really like people generally, which is why i also do a fair bit of MCing, It’s just a lot of fun when something genuinely happens in the room.
You are relatively fresh-faced to the comedy circle, a couple of years right? How has the learning curve been? Andy : I try very hard to learn from every gig I do, and by talking to and watching other acts. My first gig was Dec 2015, so I am a comedy baby really, but having done years of being the frontman in a band or solo I at least was used to being on stage and knew I loved the buzz of that. There’s lots to learn but I am very ambitious so I try to do everything quicker than everyone else!
You are bringing your show Parental Guidance to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it? Andy : It’s me doing an hour of life tips for Freddie, essentially. I do songs, jokes, some audience stuff. It’s silly but also I hope there’s some moving aspects to it as well. I think anyone can come, it’s not limited to parents and peopel who want to be parents.
Can you sum up your show in a single sentence? Andy : New dad has no idea what to do now he has a son who he is expected to bring up and give guidance to!
What does the rest of 2017 hold in store for Andy Stedman? Andy : Comedy-wise, I want to keep playing as many good clubs on the circuit as I can, maybe get a good agent – who knows. Outside of comedy, dad stuff and maybe the occasional poker…
Hello Kaitlyn, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking? Kaitlyn : Hi there! I’m from Queensland, Australia or the ‘sunny state’ where it’s 27 degrees celsius in winter.I’m currently struggling to adjust to the Scottish ‘summer’ here in Edinburgh.
When did you first realise you were, well, entertaining? Kaitlyn : It was Christmas Day in the year 1996. I accidentally drank something that I thought was milk. Turns out it wasn’t milk. It was bleach. True story. My family still talk about it. No one was bored that day!
What does Kaitlyn Rogers like to do when she’s not being funny? Kaitlyn : Rap, mostly.
You’ve been washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered DVD player & three films. Which would they be? Kaitlyn : Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit / Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls / Grease 2
What is the difference between a UK audience & that of your native Australia? Kaitlyn : Doing comedy in the UK as an Australian is great because you’re kind of a novelty. Meaning you can say things about Australia like, ‘What’s the deal with emus?!’ and people think it’s a bloody hoot! Whereas if you say that back home, you’ll probably have glass thrown at you. Meaning crowds where I’m from are quite rough and here people seem up for a laugh.
Have you ever been to Edinburgh before whether visiting or performing? Kaitlyn : Yeah, I did the fringe a few years ago. I was a puppeteer on a kids show about Australian dinosaurs.
You are bringing your show, ‘Can I Have An Amen,’ to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it? Kaitlyn : Can I Get An Amen?! is a sermon about Whoopi Goldberg. It’s a late night comedy extravaganza that’s all about being sassy. What is sass. What it takes to be sassy. And its based on the sassiest bitch in the world: Whoopi Goldberg. And for anyone who watches the show, RuPaul’s Drag Race italso refers a lot to drag queens. I wear a skin tight leopard catsuit and rap. It’s the ultimate late night cult party show with a tonne of glitter.
Can I Get An Amen has gone down rather well, winning awards & all that, what has happened exactly & how do you feel about it? Kaitlyn : I don’t know exactly. I wrote and devised the show myself by locking myself in a room and trying to make myself laugh. For a long time I didn’t know if the show would work because it’s definitely an absurd comedy that doesn’t sit in any one genre. It’s part clown. Part stand up. And a complete hot mess. That being said I’m so freaking excited to be doing it every night at during the fringe!!
What does the rest of 2017 hold in store for Kaitlyn Rogers? Kaitlyn : After the fringe, a big sleep and recovering from scurvy we’re hitting the road! Next month I’m taking the show to the Melbourne Fringe in September. Then it’s off to the Wonderland festival in Queensland and then who knows! My plan is to keep touring the show until Whoopi Goldberg sees it. Can I Get An Amen?!
Delivery: 
Laughs: 
Running through the rain to make it to Jen Wakefield’s Girl In Da Corner, I thought I was going to a standard comedy show. What I found was a truly intelligent art performance which taught me about the experience of being a mixed race person in Britain, 2017. Between tossing out the Grime Outreach program & uncannily natural Indian accents (well, she is half-Indian) her show was completely fun, like flipping through channels on TV; the main character, who is like the host of all of these channels, was the wide-eyed, open-hearted Natasha G-Storm Flex. Through this particular avatar, Jen performs some original Grime songs, whose snazzy couplets are packed full of meaning and melody performed with the startling vivacity of her youth. Through all the characters she presents we see the pressure exerted by society to be ‘normal;’ Jen easily shows that it is best to be ourselves, but it is hard to be yourself when people are constantly asking you why you look different. She is a smart cookie, culturally verteux, a fan of both the Arctic Monkeys & Steely Dan, & one cannot help but notice her intelligence blossoming into a dogmatic sense of humor. In a recent interview with The Mumble, Jen talks about her show as being;
You are bringing your show ‘Odette!’ to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it?
Having performed at the Fringe every year since 2010, Nathan Cassidy’s stage presence exudes comedic professionalism and experience. One admires Mr Cassidy in the same way one admires a great boulder balancing on the edge of a cliff, delivering rock-solid hilarity in the same way that said boulder has taken up its space on earth for aeons. 
Mumble Comedy 