Milo Edwards: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019
Who? Milo Edwards
What? Pindos
Where? Just The Tonic at The Charteris Centre – Just the Sanctum (Venue 393)
When? 14:00
What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?
A little hard to say at this stage! There’s still some work to be done but I’m pleased with the show and I think it’s coming together nicely. I’m hopeful for good crowds and a successful run.
What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?
My show this year is called Pindos and it’s all about the three years I spent in Russia and how I ended up becoming a TV comedian out there. The aim is to interweave that story with an analysis of language and culture and how those things shape our daily lives.
What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?
Probably choosing what stories not to tell. Talking about three years of my life (all of which I spent working in comedy in Russia) means that there’s a lot of material to choose from and there are a lot of things competing for space in the show. Paring it down to an hour that showcases the keys points has been tricky, but I think has resulted in a better overall show.
Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?
It’s hard to say. I love the Fringe and really value the opportunity it gives you to perform loads for a month and really experiment with things that you usually wouldn’t get to do on the circuit. That said it’s certainly gotten much more expensive in recent years, which I think alters the ambience of doing it a bit.
Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?
Olga Koch’s new show If/Then is very good, and the other comics I always go and see are Pierre Novellie, Alex Kealy, Ahir Shah and Aidan Jones. If you’d like to see more of me I’ll also be in a mixed bill show of Russian TV comics every day at 11:35pm at the Caves called The Russian Comedy Experience and taking part in a live show of our podcast Trashfuture аt 9:30pm on the 10th.
Where would you like to be in a year’s time?
Ideally, working with a good agent to do more long form shows and touring, I’ve had a lot of fun performing this show around Europe and would love to do more of that next year, and also visit the Australian festivals. Beyond that I also love playing clubs in the US so perhaps going back to the US for a few months could be a prospect.