It is August which only means one thing – it is Camden Fringe time! Over the next few weeks we are chatting to acts that are performing at the festival and finding all about their show and what they would call this years iconic Camden Fringe Pigeon! Today we speak to Jenna Kuerzi.

Date: 9th & 10th August
Time: 7pm / 8.30pm
Price: £12 Concessions £10
Location: Museum Of Comedy
Ticket Link:https://camden.ssboxoffice.com/events/johnny-depp-a-retrospective-on-late-stage-capitalism/

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

Hi there! My name is Jenna Kuerzi. I am a singer, actor, comedian, and rag-a-muffin garbage person from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States! I’ve been working throughout the United States as a theatre and film artist. I created Johnny Depp: A Retrospective on Late-Stage Capitalism with my good friend, playwright Val Dunn, and we traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019. When the world shut down, I pivoted the show to a podcast called Depp Impact and am now touring a solo version because the subject has, infamously, been all over the news.

How did you come up with the name of your show that your taking to the Camden fringe?

When my co-creator, Val, and I were coming up with ideas for projects we wanted to work on together, we were brainstorming things we had in common. A love of Jack Sparrow as teenagers led us to Mr. Depp and his film career. We started wondering about celebrity and money and how a lot of money can equal a lot of bad decisions and bad movies. JD represents the rise and fall of celebrity lifestyle, and his career is a pretty direct timeline of the effect late-stage capitalism has on us all.

Tell us a little bit about your style of show?

JD is highly interactive. Audience members are active participants in the rise and fall of the star’s career. It’s a living, breathing, show and it’s created as much by the audience as it was by us. Every show is different and every audience keeps me on my toes. It’s satirical and irreverent and fun and the kind of sad that comes from funny things.

What will your set be about?

The rise and fall of pre-teen heartthrob turned wino forever, Johnny Depp. We will go through his entire filmography, including the ones we haven’t seen, to find out… what happened?

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the fringe?

I’m excited to support other solo shows and shows I’m intrigued by. Pearly Gates, Kites, Scruffy, and We’ve Seen Enough look super interesting!

What advice would you give to others who want to perform at Camden Fringe next year?

Submit an application and figure it out as you go. The beauty of the Camden Fringe is the short runs and the low monetary costs. They’ve been supremely helpful.

What are your favourite things about London?

I love London’s hustle and bustle. I love the history and the life the city has. I live in the most historical city in America (Philadelphia) and it doesn’t have shit on London.

What are your three favourite things about Camden?

1. The grit. 2. The DIY quality of the entire town. 3. The kindness toward visitors.

Favourite one liner you have done in a show and why?

“If your biggest concern is ‘how did the talking tumbleweed make it to the end of the world’ you haven’t been paying attention.”- from O, Possom! by Val Dunn

I love this as an example of how serious theatre audiences take theatre. We over analyze the big picture and miss the silly details while we’re at it.

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

Somebody who is ready to have fun and play, without being a heckler or a distraction. I love folks ready to buy the ticket and take the ride.

The iconic image of the Camden Fringe is the Pigeon – if you could call this years pigeon a name to represent its style what would it be and why?

Squab. Theatre is back, but new. A lil’ baby pigeon, reborn, returning to the familial power lines and roofs, but ready to shake things up. And I guess you could eat it, but it’s not for me.

If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media?

You can find me at jennakuerzi.com and on instagram and twitter @lessthanamuffin . The show’s instagram is @johnnydepparetrospective . I swooped in and snagged that before the trial.

And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show?

Oh boy, it’s tough to boil down this shit show into three words, but:

Johnny. Depp. Roast.