Tania Edwards

Tania Edwards: The Edinburgh Interviews 2018

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© Avalon Entertainment

Who? Tania Edwards
What? Not My Dog
Where? Just the Tonic at The Mash House (venue 288)
When? 15:15

Are you prepared for what this year’s Edinburgh Fringe has in store for you?

No one knows what the Fringe has in store, which is why it’s interesting. I’m just packing my best jokes and an umbrella, and hoping for the best.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

I’m interested in how we (mis)represent ourselves, the space between the truth and its telling, the abyss between desire and possibility. Mostly I’m trying to find out how, if you’re anecdote-prone like myself, you can look for happiness and a decent story in the same place.

What was the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Writing it – obstacles materialise with every deadline. But writing is also the fun and the challenge of putting a show together. Stand up is great if, like me, you want instant feedback. I remember reading bits of my novel to a housemate. Every time I wrote a line I was pleased with, I wanted everyone to have a glass of wine to celebrate. She told me to write the whole book or I wouldn’t finish it; that I couldn’t have a clap at the end of every sentence. But that’s exactly what I’m after. So I abandoned the book and now I’m a stand up.

Who would most enjoy your show? 

I would say anyone looking for comedy, but in these competitive times let’s keep it broad – anyone who wants to escape the rain for an hour.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

YES. Ivo Graham, Danny Ward, Katherine Ryan, Luke McQueen, Lou Sanders, Dana Alexander, Reg D. Hunter, Lazy Susan. If you’re moping about not being in Edinburgh: Tiff Stevenson and Sara Pascoe. And Blanche Gardin.

What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh as a city?

I love knowing Edinburgh as a Festival City, I see the highs and lows etched in its cobblestones. And excellent pasta, at Ecco Vino on Cockburn Street.

What are your plans for after the festival?

To write my show for next year’s Festival. It’s addictive. We’re all Mother Courage.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR TANIA EDWARDS: ‘NOT MY DOG’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2018

Review: Jeff Leach – FIT

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On May 31st I went to Artrix, one of my favourite comedy venues, to see the brilliant Jeff Leach and his support, Tania Edwards. It was a new-material show, Jeff Leach: FIT, so was on a very small scale, which is better for me because tiny gigs are the best gigs (why I love the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton).

I hadn’t seen anything from Tania Edwards before, so it was great to see some material I knew completely nothing about so it could surprise me, and she was delightful. Tania is very soft-spoken which I thought was nice as a lot of comics you see are intent on damaging our eardrums with their shouting which is fine, but a change is always welcome. She talked about her Indian boyfriend and what their kids would look like and really made me laugh with her queries about how you would fix a pepper spray onto their inhalers to beat off the bullies in the playground. I’m definitely going to find out more about Tania’s comedy, you should ALL have heard of her by now!

Jeff LeachI took two of my sisters, Katie and Megan, and Scott, Katie’s boyfriend with me and because Scott is a lunatic, I even enjoyed the interval where we were researching how many Wine Gums it would take to kill someone (apparently it’s only capable via choking or hitting people with them). He was gutted he wasn’t heckled because he had a whole story ready about how he was called Hugh and was a plumber.

Then it was time for Jeff’s set, which was a ‘Work in Progress’ set but you couldn’t really tell; he was loud and confident as ever and even though the room was miniature, it didn’t feel empty or too quiet. As well as being hilarious (a given), Jeff’s material was lovely and had a serious undertone: questioning whether he is ‘fit’ as a comedian, boyfriend, father, person etc. It was really nice to see some real substance behind a show rather than just what someone might think would make an audience laugh, though it was kept light with Katie Price impressions and complaints about the number of bottles of hair conditioner all women have (so true).

It was lovely speaking to Jeff after the show, as always, and our photos are pretty fabulous, you have to admit. Catch him on tour here and you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook too; here is Tania’s Twitter as well. It is great to be able to support genuinely lovely, hardworking people like Jeff so do check out some of his stuff please or I will hunt you down! (exclamation mark needed to disguise genuine threat.)