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?!
Hello Bob, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking? Bob : I grew up on a farm outside of Falkirk, moved to Edinburgh when I was 20 and I’ve been living here ever since.
When did you first realise you were, well, funny? Bob : I found out that I was a bit funny when I was in high school but that was more funny/peculiar. In 2006 I got a job wandering around the guided balloon selling ice cream to people. which I took as an opportunity to be sarcastic and talk a load of nonsense to the general public. one day a woman asked if I was actually selling ice cream or doing a show about ice cream, which during August in Scotland seemed more feasible, I sold her an ice cream and cracked some jokes. She still didn’t believe that I was just a humble ice cream vendor, three months later I did my first gig.
Upon which life-experiences do you draw your own comedy? Bob : How much of my life experiences go on stage? Just the funny ones or the truly tragic ones. Which is kind of a blessing and a curse. whenever something awful is happening to me in the back of my head I think “this will make a great set” but when everything is fine I secretly hope for disaster to strike so I have something to talk about on stage.
What does Bob Graham like to do when he’s not being funny? Bob : In my spare time I usually try and do as little as possible mainly watching films or drinking. though last year I started learning mixed martial arts in an effort to get out of the flat more and get slightly healthier. Luckily most audiences find the idea of someone my height wrestling a cage fighter inherently funny, oddly enough so do I.
What is it about performing live you love the most? Bob : I love performing because no matter what’s going on in life, good or bad, all gets muted for the 10 to 60 minutes you’re up there. Then when you’re done life kicks in again and you have to wait until the next gig.
What are the differences between the UK comedy scene, the Irish & the Australian? Bob : I don’t think there’s a huge difference between the Irish and Scottish comedy scenes apart from Ireland is separated from England by the sea where as Scotland is separated from England by the lake district. the Australian comedy scene is quite different in that there’s only five or six cities with comedy scenes and they’re all hundreds of miles apart. The last gig I did in Australia an other act complained that driving for an hour to get there was a bit much. I pointed out that given the scale of the country it wasn’t that much and most UK acts would scoff at her complaint, I said as I scoffed at her complaint. then I complained that the trains there don’t have toilets and an hour on a train with no toilet was worse.
You are bringing your show 6th show to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it? Bob : My show this year is called decade, it’s all my favourite bits of material from the past ten years and a few new bits about getting older. Also quite a few stories about wrestling with cage fighters when you have a tendency to a say the first thing that comes into your head.
Since your first time at the Fringe, what have you learnt in the interim about your comedy? Bob : What have I learned from my first fringe? Mainly that it’s a bit of a slog and there’s no point complaining about it. A lot of acts travel a long way and spend a lot of money and have a terrible time which is their choice at the end of the day. I look at it as an opportunity to do what I love every day and I get to spend the rest of my time seeing shows and hanging out with my friends and colleagues. It’s also easier than trying to sell ice cream in the pouring rain.
In one sentence can you describe the experience of performing in Edinburgh in August? Bob : The fringe in one sentence? Either soul destroying or completely rewarding depending on your attitude.
What will Bob Graham be doing after the Fringe? Bob : Post-fringe I plan on sleeping for a week, then trying to figure out what to do for next year.
Hello Rebecca, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking? Rebecca : I’m from a little town in Suffolk but I live in East London now, which I’m loving.
When did you first find yourself getting into the dramatic arts? Rebecca : I didn’t get into acting until quite late really. I graduated from drama school in 2012, but I can always remember having a love of theatre.
You belong to the ‘Interactive Theatre International’ company. Can you tell us about the group? Rebecca : Interactive Theatre International, or ITI, was founded in 1997 in Australia. The company is best known for ‘Faulty Towers The Dining Experience’ which has toured the world for 20 years. With the addition of ‘The Wedding Reception’, which we first devised two-and-a-half years ago, ITI has become even more focused on highly immersive theatrical experiences. I joined ITI in 2014 to become one of over 40 actors that form multiple combinations of cast based in the UK and Australia.
This year you will be involved in the ‘Wedding Reception,’ can you tell us the story behind its creation? Rebecca : ITI wanted a brand new original immersive dining experience to tour alongside Faulty Towers. They approached me and my fellow performer David Tremaine to create the foundations for this new show. Faulty Towers works as a dining show because a good proportion of the TV show was set in and around the hotel restaurant. Similarly – while we didn’t have pre-existing characters or situations to work with – the concept of a wedding reception and the characters you meet during the show are things that we can all relate to. In addition, placing the audience as the guests of the bride and groom makes perfect sense of the dining setting.
This will be the third year TWR will be playing at the Fringe, have their been any tweaks to the material in that time? Rebecca : Absolutely. Hugely. The show is in a continual state of development – we have made a number of changes to story and character elements since we first started back in 2015. We have removed extraneous details and improved the characters and the relationships between them. The experience for the audience has been enhanced too – our first Edinburgh run took place in a tiny back room in a restaurant. Now, we are performing in a beautiful four-star hotel!
What does Rebecca Norris like to do when she’s not being theatrical? Rebecca : When I’m not performing, my favourite thing is to watch other people being theatrical! Musical theatre, dance, comedy… any of the performing arts. I love it all, and that’s why it is such a privilege to have made my passion my job.
I myself never fail to be entertained each time I see either Faulty Towers or TWR. What is the secret behind both shows’ perennial success? Rebecca : What makes them so different to traditional theatre shows is that the audience members are not just watching a show, they become an integral part of it. We get so many people returning again and again, often bringing friends or family members so they can experience it with them. For us actors, it really is the audience that make the shows so special and with their input, we never perform never same show twice.
In one sentence can you describe the experience of performing in Edinburgh in August? Rebecca : A month of excitement, exhaustion, and stupid fun.
What will Rebecca Norris be doing for the rest of 2017? Rebecca : I’m pretty much on tour for the rest of the year performing both Faulty and TWR, starting in Dorset then the Wales Millennium Centre, then London for a week, then off all round Australia for three months.
Comedy just doesn’t come to Edinburgh in August, y’know, for Rick Molland & Sully O’Sullivan do a grand job of making people laugh every night of the week in the Scottish capital through their ‘Monkey Barrel Comedy.’
The Mumble managed to catch up with them or a wee chit-chat…
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Sully O’Sullivan
Hello Sully, so where are guys from & where ya both at, geographically speaking? SULLY : Rick is originally from the North of England but is based in Scotland, I’m originally from the South of the World but am based in the North of England, don’t worry, we find it confusing as well.
Hello Rick, so when did you first realise you were, well, funny? RICK : I could always make people laugh without much effort in school and work. But there’s a million miles between that and doing it on stage. It took me a while to find the funny on stage, but years of compering a gig called Heresy, which was a small room with hardly any punters ever massively instrumental in allowing me to do what I do when performing. Comedian’s have different ways of being funny, some are story tellers, some are gag-smiths, some are just annoying Kiwi pricks with very questionable views on Politics and the Jews! My skill was that I always took the piss quite well and was very quick off the mark, Compering Heresy allowed me to practice in an environment where nothing really mattered. Gigging to 100 people for the most part is pretty easy, it’s when you’re gigging to 6 punters that things get interesting!
Why stand-up comedy? SULLY : My last ‘proper job’ was in legal publishing, mainly digital but also hard cover, I worked in customer support, it was all as boring as it sounds, that’ll motivate anyone to try something completely different.
Rick Molland
What is it about performing live that you love the most? RICK : I don’t really buy into the jaded stand-up schtick that some comics portray. I love doing what I do. I go to gigs, and have fun with people who for the most part laugh and have a good night out. I admit that I tread the line with audiences from time to time. I like to be just on the edge of being wrong, so I do get away with saying some borderline stuff to people, but those are my favourite reactions. Nothing beats the moment where an audience knows they shouldn’t be laughing but are laughing anyway.
Upon which life-experiences do you draw your own comedy? SULLY : The big pictures, the things that affect us all whether we like it or not, hence: Another Political Comedy Show.
You’ve been washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered DVD player & three films. Which would they be?
RICK : OldBoy (The Original Version), The West Wing Box Set and Deep Throat.
How much time do you spend outwith the comedy world in the company of Mister Rick Molland, or is it just always a monkey barrel of laughs with you two? SULLY : We both perform in ‘clubs’ most of the year, Rick as resident host at Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh and myself all over the UK and occasionally abroad, but when the festivals roll round the double act comes calling.
Can you describe the creative process between you & Sully RICK : Tense.
You are bringing ‘Another Political Comedy Show’ to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it? SULLY : We tried to write a political comedy show together, we failed, we just don’t agree, it turns out Rick’s an arsehole. So now it’s me versus him, my views versus his, at 17:45 every day for a month.
Can you sum up your show in a single sentence? RICK : No. We are living in the age of Trump Tweeting, Brexit Lies, Fake News, Russian Hackers, and yet more Trump Tweeting, where people pick a news source like they choose their religion. It seemed to us that the common thread on all these topics was simply Freedom of Speech. We just happen to have very different opinions on the topic of Freedom of Speech.
You are also running the Scottish Comedy Festival at the Fringe – over 20 acts worth – what’s the idea behind this? RICK : The Scottish Comedy Festival is a way to shine a light on the amazing acts who contribute to the Scottish Comedy Scene all year round. We’ve got a phenomenal line-up of some of the best acts Scotland has to offer.
How do you find performing at the mega-mash-up that is the Edinburgh Fringe? SULLY : I’m performing in 3 shows a day ‘Freestyle Comedy’, ‘Another Political Comedy Show’ and ‘AAA Stand-Up’ at Gilded Balloon. I’ll be performing for 27 days straight. By the end of it I expect to be exhausted, sick of the taste of takeaway food, have no clean clothes, yet there’s something about the fringe that keeps myself and thousands of other acts coming back.
Hello Gypsy, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
I’m from Australia but live in London
When did you first realise you were an entertainer?
I used to perform in a beautiful red tutu to the music manhattan by Gershwin for my parents when I was 5. I come from a showbiz family so I was forced into it really!
You know a good show when its happened, what are the special ingredients?
I like a show that has form and content. I like something dirty beautiful and mega dangerous!!!!!!
What does Gypsy Wood like to do when she’s not being entertaining?
Elizabeth Taylor after she went recovery
You are bringing ‘Peter & Bambi Heaven: When Love Becomes Magic’ to this year’s fringe. Can you describe the show?
Australia’s best high energy dancing magicians, Peter & Bambi Heaven are back, spraying love and magic on everything and everyone they touch. Its a mad romp of everything thats cheesy and crass about showbiz!!!!
After the success of last year’s Fringe show you have performed in France’s Got Talent, headlined their version of the Royal Variety Show and performed a short residency in Las Vegas. How has the ride been & what were your highlights?
We have had a huge success in the last year. Its been very exciting and difficult to be on the road for so many months. The high lights are bringing the show to new audiences who are loving the show. My family in Sydney finally got to see the show. I have really enjoyed every part of it. I never get tired of performing our silly magic show. Going on France has got talent was just totally insane. The adelaide cabaret festival was pretty cool too!
How does it feel to be working so closely with the man who was your husband only last year?
We are just like any couple who has to get on with life even when it doesn’t go to plan. Many couple have to co parent children or run a business together after divorce. We are just doing the best we can. There are difficult times and there are really beautiful moments where we remember how much we mean to each other. I really don’t think I could ever work with anyone else like this. Asher and I can tell each other how we feel and just love having fun together. We get sad sometimes we’re not together any more, but are happy to be having this rich life experience together!!
Can you describe the Fringe experience in a single sentence?
A melting pot of nut bar, narcissism, madness bullshit and art.
What does the rest of 2017 hold in store for Gypsy Wood?
I just want to make Art. Do yoga read books and perform in glamorous and strange places.
You can catch Peter & Bambi Heaven’s new comedy show
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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. 
Hello Bob, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
Hello Rebecca, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
You are also running the Scottish Comedy Festival at the Fringe – over 20 acts worth – what’s the idea behind this?
Mumble Comedy 