The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Tom Allen
© Andy Hollingworth
Tom Allen
A Guide To Edinburgh 2015
That time of year is upon us once more; thousands of performers, reviewers and audience members are preparing to visit the holy grail of comedy that is the Edinburgh Festival. Here is a quick run through of everything MoodyComedy would be attending if only I could get there this year. Do get in touch if you attend any of these shows, or see something else that you think should be featured. You can also catch up with the past week’s exclusive MoodyComedy interviews.
Stuff That’s Gold
Katherine Ryan
Katherine Ryan is performing her latest show, Kathbum, currently riding high on her phenomenal rise to fame in recent years and showing no signs of stopping any time soon. With every new show, Katherine only increases in her wisdom, experience and cutting sass, similar to that of Irish charmer Aisling Bea who brings her second show, Plan Bea, to the festival. Another name to watch out for is that of Luisa Omielan, who will perform a very limited run of her second show Am I Right Ladies?!. Omielan is a performer that cares about her audience to an extent I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed before: her show is empowering, lively and not to be missed.
James Acaster presents another whacky hour of surreal yet surprisingly dramatic story-telling stand up in his show Represent and Joe Lycett returns, with possibly the best show title of the year: That’s The Way, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett. And it would frankly be a mistake to miss out on seeing Bridget Christie‘s latest show, A Book For Her, which sees the launch of her debut novel, and showcases her trademark blend of feminism and spectacular comedy.
Stuff That’s Odd
Tony Law, the king of surreal comedy, is performing his new show Frillemorphesis where he explores ideas such as shouting, moving and talking, absolutely standard. A live show from the Tone Zone is an opportunity not to be missed, or forgotten in a hurry, and his being in this category is by no means a suggestion that this show will not also be Gold.
Shouty extraordinaire Bobby Mair brings another dark and bitterly funny show off the back of his recent television successes, entitled Filthy Immigrant; Tom Allen performs Both Worlds with his signature sinister calm and endearing flamboyance and Harriet Kemsley, who spent the first part of this year supporting Katherine Ryan on tour, also performs her debut hour, Puppy Fat, which has got the critics excited. If you like a bit of audience interaction, Jonny Awsum’s show Everything Is Awsum will be another unforgettable experience, as will Patrick Monahan’s seventies-inspired show The Disco Years.
Stuff That’s Free
Now any Edinburgh Festival-goer will be able to tell you that ticket price does not necessarily dictate quality; free shows are on the rise as they are a great way of ensuring the trip is more affordable for comedians and fans alike. There are some real gems performing shows this year that rely on kind donations alone.
Lou Sanders
Rob Auton has prepared another delightfully off-kilter, poetical concept show entitled The Water Show where he considers everything surrounding the theme of water, much like his previous shows which have centred around themes such as Yellow, Sky and Face. Elf Lyons‘ Being Barbarella is a high-octane adventure, discussing science fiction, liberation and sharks. This lady is a true one-off, who’s surreal form of comedy is often likened to The Mighty Boosh. And Lou Sanders, being the wonderful shambles of a performer that she is, brings her insane show about her efforts to get accepted into Eton College For Boys, of course entitled: Excuse Me, You’re Sitting On My Penis Again.
Stuart Goldsmith will also be recording episodes of The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast where he interviews everyone that is anyone in the world of comedy, delving deep into the psyche of the performer and having many laughs in the process. The line up for this year is stellar and although the recordings are free to attend and non-ticketed, the venue will undoubtedly fill up quickly on the night so plan ahead.
You can purchase tickets for all shows mentioned on the Edinburgh Festival website.
Josie Long: Cara Josephine (2015)
I have wanted to see Josie Long live for a long time due to her infamous political comedy but also because she is one of the most articulate, kind-hearted comics out there. Cara Josephine is her least political show for a long time and I think that may be because the message of this set is far too positive to be weighed down by the heavy nature of British politics- we can forget all that for a little while. Supported by the eccentric Tom Allen, these two supplied a superb Wednesday evening of entertainment.
Photo: Steve Ullathorne
Tom Allen expertly juggles being slightly sinister with being endearing, friendly and flamboyant; his delivery fluctuates between being downbeat and slow-moving, and charmingly playful. With a presence similar to that of the well-spoken stand up comedian Simon Evans, Allen showed an incredibly dark streak; a welcome contrast to the abundance of crowd-pleasing ‘safe’ comedy that has emerged in recent years. Tom showed a talent for altering the metaphorical distance between himself and his audience, as we soon began to warm to each other and he opened up more and more about his family and his childhood.
Josie and Tom were very different in their material, delivery and stage presence but I noticed one major similarity: what they say is perfected by the way in which they say it. Tom Allen’s material would not be done justice if spoken by anybody else; he has a compelling presence on stage and a very distinctive voice. In Josie’s case, she uses her delightfully childish humour to break up heavily emotional or political segments which makes for a fantastically rounded and widely accessible show.
Josie Long’s Cara Josephine is a carefully constructed work of art. She begins on the surface, talking about her recent experiences taking Maths A Level as a 32 year old because she kept having nightmares about taking Maths A Level (I know, it makes perfect sense), and gradually getting more and more intimate until we reach the crux of the show: issues regarding our own self worth. I had heard that this was Josie’s most personal show to date, but had not expected her to be so wonderfully open about her past loves and losses, and make it so bloody funny.
Photo: Giles Smith
With a passion for poetry and an Oxford University education under her belt, Josie makes no effort to hide how well-read she is, and, frankly, why should she? I really appreciate the kind of comedy that values intelligence and the art of learning, and this show in particular enables audiences to learn about the woman on the stage, but also about her perception of events that happen to us all throughout our lives. This comedian talks to an extent of the difficult time she had as a teenager, and seeing where she is now, and despite only being seventeen myself, I think all of her fans feel a strange sense of pride for all that she has achieved.
This is because Josie Long is everyone’s friend. She opens herself up to her audiences, making herself vulnerable, all for the sake of her art, and I think that is something to be admired. Her comedy certainly blossoms because of it. With her infectious, bubbly personality, Josie has managed to build up consistently warm and friendly audiences which meant that the atmosphere in Wolverhampton was supportive and encouraging. This lady talks of growing old, but in my eyes she’ll be young her whole life: she has clearly learned a lot in the past few years, but hasn’t let this harden her in anyway and she remains as bright-eyed and spirited as ever.