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!

JACKIE!!!

Location: Big Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24)

Dates:  Jul 30th -10th, 12th-25th

Time: 18:30

Price: £15 Concessions £14

Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/jackie

Hello! Tell us about yourself?

JOE: My name’s Joe and I’m one of the writers of the show. After graduating from Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance at the University of York in 2018, I have worked primarily as a director for new musicals. I could not be more excited to be working with Max and Nancy on this one!

NANCY: I’m Nancy and I’m a writer and performer based in London. I’m currently studying Writing for Performance at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and I am so excited to be going to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer to play the role of Jackie Kennedy in our new show JACKIE!!!.

MAX: I’m Max, I’m an actor, musician, sound designer and composer from London. I’ve been working as a multidisciplinary artist for the past 7 years in theatre and am so excited to be having our first full work staged!

Tell us all about your show!

JOE: JACKIE!!! follows the life of a young Jacqueline Bouvier as she dreams of the American crown. She meets JFK and marries into the illustrious Kennedy dynasty (so far, so good!), but things are not quite as rosy as they might have seemed and Jackie goes through some really rough shit, uncovers a load of crazy dark Kennedy secrets, and ultimately ends up asking if achieving her dream was worth putting up with the coercion and embarrassment that she endured as part of the Kennedy clan. What’s really crazy is it’s all true (but for legal reasons, it is entirely fictitious and not based on any events or persons living or dead).

NANCY: It is a fresh new musical about the icon Jackie Kennedy, and how she rose to fame and acclaim as the first lady of the United States, and overall art director of the 21^st century. The show encompasses sixteen years of Jackie’s life, starting with her first encounter with John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and her subsequent initiation into the Kennedy family with all of their secrets and scandals.

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

MAX: JACKIE!!! in its essence is a musical about Jackie B/K/O’s struggle with agency amidst a controlling and power-hungry family. It charts her journey from an aspirational young camera girl to a worn-down widow and explores the critical moments in between. The musical language spans genres throughout the 50s and 60s with a little bit of classic musical theatre a’la Rodgers and Hammerstein thrown in.

JOE: I’m super excited to see David and Katie Get Re-Married, which I’m told is hilarious, and Anna Hale’s Control Freak, which I can tell you is absolutely earth-shatteringly brilliant and I will be spending my only day off watching that and screaming/cheering/crying in the front row.

MAX: My good friend Ed Night is one of the best comedians on the circuit and I cannot recommend his work enough!

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.

JOE: I’m not sure I’m the best person to offer advice on surviving Fringe because the fact I’ve ever made it out alive is nothing short of a medical miracle. Just find some leafy greens and anything rich with vitamins and force them down because the street food is great but by the end of the month, eating from food trucks really takes its toll. I remember I had so many ulcers in my mouth last year.

MAX: I haven’t, but I go every year. My advice for those WATCHING shows would be to not cram too much in. The first year I filled my schedule with 6/7 shows per day – I was so exhausted I ended up sleeping through half of them!

NANCY:  I’ve been told by many people to be aware of the dreaded third week. Though I will probably be tired by that point, I know that there’s so much to do, so there’s no time to slow down! I’m just going to take the advice that others have given me, to get enough rest, and really enjoy every moment, because by the fourth week, I won’t want to go home.

If this is your first time – what are you looking forward to?

NANCY: I’m really looking forward to getting to watch a lot of new shows, as well as showing Jackie to everyone for the first time! I’m also excited to have the opportunity to explore Edinburgh, especially getting to experience it during the festival, because it’s such a beautiful and historic city with loads of cool things to see.

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

JOE: My favourite restaurant in Edinburgh is Chez Jules on Hanover Street, but I have not actually eaten there during the Fringe because I’ve never had the time to enjoy a leisurely steak dinner. I love The Piemaker on South Bridge – it’s a real institution, and you wouldn’t believe how creative they can get with the two staple food groups of macaroni and cheese and pastry; it’s borderline alchemy. I will also have precisely one (1) deep fried Mars Bar, to respect the culture.

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

JOE: Living the dream, being in showbiz, validating that student loan, making my parents proud etc. But to be serious for a moment, the Fringe really is the most incredible place on earth and just being amongst so many incredible artists at the top of their game, all sharing their work and baring their souls, is an immense privilege. It’s like the Glastonbury of theatre, so it is essentially my idea of Utopia.

What is the hardest part about performing at the Fringe?

JOE: I am actually yet to perform at Fringe, having only directed (*cough* hit) shows there before, but I imagine it’s getting used to the fame and handling the dizzy heights of celebrity?

Do you bring anything special from home to make it feel more special whilst you are away?

JOE: I really wish I had a cute answer to this, but the modern mobile phone holds within its small but mighty screen all of the wonders of human history, so that’ll do.

NANCY: I’m very lucky that a lot of my friends and family will be coming to support me at different points throughout the month, so I’d say that will be the most special thing that I’m bringing from home!

MAX: I love working so whenever I’m on extended trips I bring as many guitars as possible, a portable piano and my recording setup – you never know when inspiration might hit and you need to record a demo!

What are your best hacks to save money whilst at the Fringe?

NANCY: I’m a student, so I’m used to living on a budget! My hacks are just the basic things, like cooking for yourself rather than eating out, and Edinburgh is walkable so I won’t have to use transport. Also, my friends that have been to Fringe before have done ushering jobs, so I might apply to do that so I can hopefully pick up some shifts to make extra money while I’m there.

MAX: I am absolutely dreadful with money, so perhaps not the best person to ask – so my hack is to attempt to save enough BEFORE a long trip so I don’t need to worry as much!

JOE: Unfortunately I don’t understand the question. I was told this interview would be conducted in English?

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

NANCY: I don’t know about other performers, but for me it will definitely be a comb, many bottles of hairspray and an enormous pair of sunglasses.

JOE: Airpods to escape the madness of the city, clothes for all weather (in the words of Crowded House, it can be very four seasons in one day up there), and alcohol provisions because the off licenses aren’t allowed to sell it after 9pm (on reflection, this is actually my Fringe top tip!!!!).

MAX: A nebuliser (for hydration), a huge bottle of water (for hydration), and a huge bottle of wine (for dehydration).

What’s the secret to successful flyering?

JOE: Consistency and persistence. Nobody walks past without getting one. Cast that net wide enough and you’re bound to catch a fish, baby! Also paying university students to flyer for you when you’re hungover/disinclined is a good use of production funds.

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

JOE: instagram, girl! @joemcneice (RIP twitter xo)

NANCY: My instagram is @nredwardswriting , this is where I post some of my writing and updates on the projects that I am working on.

MAX: @maxalexandertaylor is my instagram – though I definitely need some PR tips from Jackie as there’s not much of any worth on there!

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

JOE: I’ll lobotomize you.

NANCY: I’ll marry you.

MAX: I’ll assassinate you.  I’ll assassinate you.

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