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!

Fatal Flower

Location:   Main Hall – Summerhall (Venue 26)

Dates:  Jul 31st -11th, 13th-24th

Time: 21:05

Price: £17 Concessions £14.50

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

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

Hi! I’m Valentina Tóth — the performer and creator of the show Fatal Flower: an ode to the hysterical woman. I’m a Dutch actress, singer, comedian, songwriter, and theatre-maker. But before all that, I was a classical concert pianist. In my youth, I was a child prodigy. At fifteen, I played Carnegie Hall and landed a record deal. I was very good at it — but I hated playing the piano, it wasn’t my dream, it was my mother’s. About ten years ago, I walked away from all that and went to drama school. I have worked across the Netherlands and Belgium with companies like De Toneelschuur, Het Houten Huis, Theater Antigone, and Groots en Meeslepend. In 2022, I won the Amsterdam Cabaret Festival, receiving both the jury (AKF Wim Sonneveld Prize) and audience awards. I was named Comedy Talent of 2023 by De Volkskrant. My work lives at the intersection of theatre, classical music, comedy, cabaret, and opera.

Tell us all about your show!

Fatal Flower is my debut show. It’s a tragicomic, musical, and over-the-top one-woman show in which I explore the clichés and boundaries of womanhood in today’s society. This show is very multidisciplinary.  

The show touches on my childhood, my piano career, and my relationship with my mother. But I would say, that is definitely not the main message of the show. The show also touches upon other themes: like sexual assault, mother-daughter relationships, jealousy, revenge, and the complicated relationship many women (myself included) have with their bodies. It’s definitely a show about female rage — about the things that make me angry… or hysterical, if you will.

While the “hysterical woman” is a  great umbrella to explore serious issues, it also gives me the freedom to play big, bold, grotesque, funny, tragic characters. I draw from archetypes like Medea, Medusa, the innocent angel, the promiscuous woman. One minute I’m singing Mozart’s Queen of the Night, the next I’m a furious bride-to-be on her hen do, or my strict old Russian piano teacher. I show a thousand faces — and in doing so, I show my own. 

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

I am looking forward to Up Your Ass by Lieselot Siddikki and Nona Gallagher at Zoo Southside – I also perform in that show! 

I am looking forward to Swiping Right by Berlin – a show about dating outside of your political comfort zone. 

Thanks for being here by Ontroerend goed is also a show I definitely want to check out!

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 haven’t done the Fringe as a performer, but I was there as a visitor many times. I don’t have any advice, except for visitors. My advice: see shows you wouldn’t normally buy tickets for and enjoy all the GREAT food in Edinburgh.

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

I’m looking forward to perform in English for the first time in my life! I also look forward to the absolute madness of playing so many shows in one month. I perform my own show, and am also an actress in Up Your Ass, so the last two weeks of the Fringe, I will be performing two shows per day – I love it!

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

Idon’t have one yet, but I will probably be boring: get a good sleep, physical and vocal warm-up, I plan on going to Arthur’s seat everyday, and eating a lot of mac and cheese. 

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

Mac and cheese stand at the food court

What is the hardest part about performing at the Fringe?

Probably the madness, and the fact that there are so many shows to choose from, and you’re just one of many. 

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

I bring a very chic bathrobe to wear in my dressing room, so I can feel like a diva when I feel like it. 

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

I’ll have to see. I never managed to save money (too many good bookshops around) as a visitor.

Oh, wait! The meal deals have saved me money! 

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

For me:

A lax vox tube for my voice

Stamina 

An item of clothing that makes you feel fabulous. 

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

@valentinatothh on instagr

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