Showstoppers' Pippa Evans discusses pies, Gladiator's Jet and exfoliating with haggis.
Tell us about your Fringe show
Showstopper is an improvised musical - we perform an entire west-end standard extravaganza - songs, dancing, big characters, hilarious plot - but we make it up entirely based on audience suggestions.
Best thing about the Fringe?
You only eat at pies.
Worst thing about the Fringe?
You only eat pies.
How many years have you been coming to the Fringe?
Showstopper has been coming since 2008. That's seven years of joyous, soggy, glory.
Favourite Fringe venue?
I personally LOVE anything a bit weird. Those rooms that are clearly not rooms the rest of the year. Alleyways with bits of MDF put up to create enough space for three audience members and a weeping performance artist.
Best Fringe memory?
The best parts of the Fringe are never remembered. Either through drink or your brain's realisation that if you remember that excellent time, you will forever be disappointed. Or because of concussion from when you were pretending to be a deep sea diver and you jumped off the stage and the audience FORGOT to catch you.
Best heckle?
Showstopper rarely gets heckled. In fact, I might say we have never been heckled. But someone once yelled at me "Excuse me - you look like Michael Schumacher."
Craziest on stage experience?
Every year we do a 50 hour improvathon in London - where no one sleeps for 50 hours whilst improvising a whole show. There are usually some pretty crazy things happening there. From memory I think I have been a flock of pigeons, Jet from Gladiator insisting people can only lunge instead of walk and a Cyclopes who tried to destroy our town but we defeated him with opera.
What’s on your rider?
Fizzy water, cake and hugs. And tonnes of cocaine.
How do you wind down after a show?
We generally have a lemonade and go to sleep. We are SO ROCK AND ROLL. Come hang with us! We're like an all singing all dancing old people's home!
What do you love about Scotland?
The accents, the fresh air, the fact that once you are out of Edinburgh, you can drive for hours and not see anyone. And haggis for breakfast.
What do you like about Edinburgh?
The city? The fact that there's a whole mountain type thing right next to the city centre. And the castle is there saying "Remember there's a whole lot of history here. Your review in ThreeWeeks really isn't that important."
What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve done?
I once exfoliated with haggis. Not recommended.
What kind of jokes do a Scottish crowd seem to respond to?
Funny ones.
Favourite joke?
What do you call a cockney singing p***s? The Artful Todger!
Showstoppers will perform at the Pleasance Courtyard on August 19-30.
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