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!
Michael John Ciszewski: Mother, Superior
Location: Bedlam Theatre – Auditorium (Venue 49)
Dates: Aug 7th-16th, 18th-23rd, 25th-30th
Time: 14:00
Price: £13 Concessions £11
Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/michael-john-ciszewski-mother-superior
Hello! Tell us all about your show!
Hello, FINE!!! ‘Michael John Ciszewski: MOTHER, SUPERIOR’ is my sacrilegious, sensational new solo show in which I (gay guy) beg God and the Vatican (real, powerful—respectively) to make my mother (still alive) A SAINT in one hour… of comedy! And it is happening in a literal church (Bedlam Theatre) so you know God will be listening for real for real, so in that way, it is actually a two-hander—my very own FROST/NIXON, if you will.
This show is a simple means by which to finally get her back for making me like this. Sorry, PAY HER BACK for making me like this. PAY HER BACK not get her back. The show asks the vital question of our times: would our parents rather we book a Netflix special or return their calls?
What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the fringe?
I am pulling my arm hair out excited to see the HARROWING POLITICAL SOLO DRAMA from Frank Murdocco called ‘Sublimation’, the new DUMB GENIUS SURVIVAL COMEDY ‘Out There’ by Mark Vigeant, genuinely threatening Andrew Doherty’s SPOOKTACULAR ‘Reviewers Welcome… TO DIE!’ and Frankie McNair’s seemingly butt-focused hour HUGE ASS MINDSET.
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! I made my EdFringe debut in 2024 with my hour about being a drunk called IF MEMORY SERVES that ranked 2 spots higher than my heated rivalry, the legendary Miriam Margolyes, on FringeBiscuit’s list of Top Shows of the festival.
My key advice for any newcomers is to focus your energy on being in competition with the legendary Miriam Margolyes, however one-sided. The festival can be so stressful and competition is natural. Why not aim high, so you can be kind and generous to your actual peers? If the legendary Miriam Margolyes can handle ‘Potterheads’, she can handle Fringe upstarts who call themselves ‘early career’ despite it all.
Talk us through your daily routine for a day at the Fringe
I wake up in my posh dormitory at the idyllic Queen Margaret University and immediately cast two spells against Miriam Margolyes while the membrane between our world and The Realm of Dreams is still thin and permeable. I go for a run and do a little workout so I have empirical reason to believe I am sexy rather than relying on my overwhelming vibe.
I make instant coffee in our shared kitchen, which is a choice and not an act of desperation. I do some social media or marketing work while I sip, which I absolutely do not hate, then run out the door to catch my train into city center like the cosmopolitan working girl I am. I go to the Royal Mile and love seeing everyone there. It’s the best place to be and I am not overwhelmed. I get a banana and a very big Iced Americano from my favorite barista Maria at the Starbucks there, which is a choice and not an act of desperation. She is so kind to me, unlike many people I then flyer, who do not seem generally homophobic but perhaps just do not like me. They all agree to come to my show anyways, of course!
I then go do my show at Bedlam Theatre, which is a real church and therefore a place where the membrane between our world and The Realm of God is thin and permeable. Rather than pray for world peace—impossible at this point, let’s be real—I do comedy so good I am sanctified.
Afterwards, I greet my adoring public and share with them our no refunds policy, unprompted. I receive press acclaim. I take photographs that emphasize my best features (hair, ass) and post them to social media, which I absolutely do not hate. I drink water, probably. It’s actually not ‘important to stay hydrated during Fringe,’ no matter how many of these Q&As say that, but I do it anyways out of love for the game (i.e. being wet). I eat at [INSERT PAID PARTNER—RESTAURANT THAT LIKES GAYS]. I flyer some more and everyone agrees to come to my show.Then
Then, I generously lend my presence as an audience member and do my patented active listening at show after show across the festival, receiving many laughs and lessons from brilliant artist peers and not Miriam Margolyes.
At this point, I am called by my PR agent to be told how much the press loves me and my work. I go ‘home’ to my posh dormitory and do some social media or marketing work while I unwind, which I absolutely do not hate. At midnight, I cast one more spell against Miriam Margolyes while the membrane between our world and The Realm of Dreams is thin and permeable, and then I rest up and dream about Lady Gaga like the good little gay boy I am before doing it all over again!
Ok, where is your favourite place to eat at the Fringe?
Maki & Ramen, specifically the one on Nicolson St., and also the stage, where I positively chomp on scenery every day at 14:00!
Best thing about performing at the fringe?
Working very hard every day at making your dreams to be the silliest boy in the world come true, performing for the hottest and most game audiences in the world, and making friends with the funniest, kindest, and most ambitious like minded artists. Oh, and being in direct competition with my heated rivalry, the legendary Miriam Margolyes.
Do you bring anything special from home to make it feel more special whilst you are away?
My iPhone.
What are your best hacks to save money whilst at the Fringe?
Stay hydrated!
If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media?
@xomichaeljohn on Instagram and @michaeljohnOFFICIAL on TikTok
And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show?
God says “come!!”
Welcome to The Phoenix Remix 
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