As the Fringe 2010 gets underway and with acts all over the city getting ready for a weekend that is going to be a kicker we are lucky, once again, to bring you an exclusive interview with a performer the BBC called a ‘revelation’. Clare Lomas is going to make the fringe here own and we can’t wait to see her show!
How have things been going, you all done and dusted for the summer shows or are there still some creases to iron out?
Er, yeah I’m still ironing! Still writing some new material and tweaking. Lots of tweaking. And, much to everyone’s horror, i still have to sort my accommodation out… Any suggestions?!
What has made you want to do the Free Fringe?
Well I’ve been doing the London circuit (hence the bags under my eyes) and I wanted to do a one woman show and take my material to a new audience. And I thought what better way than letting myself free fall for fifty minutes in front of an Edinburgh audience?! That’s got to be fun….
Have there been any obstacles in producing this show?
No thankfully, I’m just pleased I got on board with the Free Fringe as I couldn’t have afforded to do it otherwise. Most venues charge a lot of money for you to put a show on, so PBH’s Free Fringe has been a godsend.
What was the best feedback you got from your audience or the press?
Someone came up to me after a comedy gig recently and said i was the “female Tim Minchin”. I liked that, I’m a huge fan of his!
What was the Best and Worst shows you’ve played?
Best – was a comedy gig I did recently where Stephen Merchant was in the audience, and laughing. Lots of fun.
Worst – was playing a gig in Epsom shopping precinct. Outside. In the rain. Less fun.
What can people expect?
Well, I take the issues of the day (knife crime, terrorism, etc) and rewrite pop songs about them – eg the Avenue Q song Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist becomes a song about women’s penchant for bad boys: Everyone Should Date A Terrorist; Alicia Keys’ song New York becomes a song about the expense of living in London: Primark; etc. And I’ll interweave these songs with lots of chat ‘n banter between me and the audience, about whatever we all feel like talking about I imagine…
Any new tricks up your sleeves?
Well it’s just me and a piano for 50 mins which is essentially a pretty big trick since I normally have an attractive pianist at my side. Oh I’m gonna miss beautiful Matt; he’s in Italy getting a tan…
Who has been an inspiration to you?
Tim Minchin (hence my fave feedback…) Huge fan, I love that he’s managed to bring the comedy song niche out into the mainstream. That, and the fact he refuses to wear shoes/socks for any gig so that he feels like he’s just hanging out in his living room.
What advice have you been given, and what advice would you give someone bringing a show to the Free Fringe?
Someone told me to wear a hat and someone told me to stay in Leith. Not sure how profitable either of those pearls of wisdom are going to be for the show itself but you never know…
