It is festival season and that means that in the next month there is so many great comedy festivals to look forward to! This month we are looking at some of the great shows that you can see at the Edinburgh Fringe. So take note because we are going to give you all the information you need for just a handful of some of the great shows happening this year!

Skank Sinatra

Location:  Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Four (Venue 17)

Dates: Jul 31st Aug 1st-6th, 8th-11th, 13th-18th, 20th-22nd

Time: 22:40

Price: £11.00 Concessions £10.00

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/skank-sinatra

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

I was a wee boy of 12 when my half-Danish half-South African family uprooted our life in Somerset West (close to Cape Town) in South Africa and moved to Australia. My mum, dad, sister and I spent 6 months travelling from Perth to Brisbane (for those of you who understandably aren’t that familiar with Australian geography, that’s around 5,500km) to find a suitable place to call home. It was hard to choose because so much of the Australian coast is incredibly beautiful, but we settled on the stunning and aptly-named Sunshine Coast on the East coast, just north of Brisbane. 

After highschool I flew straight back to Perth to go to Australia’s top-tier drama school, WAAPA (The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) for a 3 year full-on full-time musical theatre degree. It was bone breaking work and the training was intense but boy did it instil some much needed discipline into this relaxed coastal boy. 

I pretty much haven’t stopped since and 8 years after graduating I’m still loving every minute of making art and forcing it upon unknowing audiences! And now I get to do it for the first time internationally when I take my solo show Skank Sinatra to the Edinburgh Fringe this August – get ready Scotland! 

Tell us all about your show!

Skank Sinatra is a fast-paced, sharp-witted and now award-winning cabaret (thanks Adelaide Fringe for the best Cabaret win!) set to the score of Sinatra music – but totally reimagined! I take the audience on a journey from my South African emigration to Australia, to my wild experiences at the Berghain in Berlin and various other wild escapades that seamlessly fit to a big band soundtrack.

It features many of the songs that people know and love by both Frank and Nancy Sinatra, but I have deliciously reinvented them with some ingenious modern twists. The feedback has been that the show is elegant and tasteful with a touch of spice, so it really does sit well with audiences of all age groups over 16!

How did you come up with the name of your show that you’re taking to the Fringe?

I’ve been performing Sinatra’s songbook for many years and wanted to have some fun with a couple of the songs, so I parodied Frank’s ‘Come Fly With Me’ to ‘Comply With Me’ and it went down a treat. That was the beginning of a long road down the cheeky Sinatra route, and a play-on-words was a must, so one night I spitballed some ideas with friends for my next show and when “Skank Sinatra” popped up we all found it so hilarious and perfect that it was an obvious choice! 

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

Dolly Diamond is one of Australia’s most hilarious and iconic cabaret queens and she’ll be doing her show “The Unburdening of Dolly Diamond” at Assembly Roxy, which will be an absolutely hilarious treat. It doesn’t hurt that I may make a small appearance in her show! 

I’m also looking forward to seeing all the shows by my friends who I studied at Ecole Philippe Gaulier with (the clown school in France that breeds some of the most fantastic Fringe artists around the world). 

Have you done the Fringe before? What are the key pieces of advice you have been given or would give to new groups or people performing at the Fringe.

I have never done my show at Edinburgh Fringe before! Everyone’s advice is to eat vegetables daily. 

Talk us through your daily routine for a day at the Fringe

I shall imagine an average Edinburgh Fringe day, as I’ve never had one before, inspired by an average Adelaide Fringe day: 

1pm: Wake up, coffee!

2pm: Start makeup (it takes me 2-3 hours)

5pm: Head into town, maybe see a show and grab a bite

7pm: Get to my venue ready to do show

10pm: Grab a glass of wine and dinner

11pm: See another show

3am: Somehow make my way home 

What is the best way to enjoy yourself at the Fringe?

Seeing shows! I get so inspired by everyone and everything at the festival so it rejuvenates my soul to see what all the other artists are doing and making. 

Ok, where is your favourite place to eat at the Fringe?

I remember visiting a very trendy yummy pork place in town, I think it was called Oink. 

But Tesco’s meal deal sandwich takes the cake!

Best thing about performing at the Fringe?

Meeting and mingling with other artists. 

Top tips for travelling around the Fringe and getting to shows on time?

Walking seems the way to go! And setting alarms on your phone so you’re not late to a show. 

What would be your top three items every performer must take to the Fringe?

Hydralite (electrolyte tablets you dissolve in water), sunscreen and a good bag that you can carry for 6-8 hours daily. 

What’s the secret to successful flyering?

A snappy elevator pitch and an openness to just chat to people as opposed to trying to sell your show. If they like YOU they’re more likely to come see your show. 

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

Instagram is definitely where I’m most active, so find me at @jensradda for some silly, glamorous and funny content!

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

Culture, Drag, Laughs.