#Interview with comedian and actor Lucy Pearman with Lou on new show, Lunartic #LucyPearman #Lunartic @sohotheatre 29th Sept – 4th Oct #comedy #theatre #stage

Interview with comedian and actor, Lucy Pearman Lunartic

Interview by Louise Cannon

It gives me great pleasure to be interviewing about her new comedy show, Lunartic, which is transferring from a sold out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Theatre to Soho Theatre from Monday 29 September – Saturday 4 October 2025 at 9:15pm. Please find how to book at the end of the interview.
Thank you and welcome to Bookmarks and Stages, Lucy Pearman.

Lucy Pearman’s latest show, Lunartic was nominated for the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality and nominated for Best Variety Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival Awards.
She has also wrote and starred in BBC Three’s Please Help, which was nominated for a BAFTA following its release. She has appeared on Red Dwarf and other tv shows. She was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2017 for her debut full-hour show Maid of Cabbage.
She has successfully had other shows transfer from the Edinburgh Fringe to SoHo Theatre, such as Baggage.

Before the interview, which contains fascinating and entertaining insights into the themes of the play, the BAFTAs, Red Dwarf and some humour, here is a bit about Lunartic.

In Lunartic, the Moon is putting on a show. But, as the Sun keeps reminding her, the Moon will never be a star – and without him, she’d be invisible altogether. Through her trademark blend of surreal character comedy, joyful audience participation and prop-fuelled silliness, Pearman takes us into a huge-hearted story about loneliness, big dreams, and wanting to be seen. As the Sun threatens to switch off the light altogether with a total eclipse, the Moon faces the dark – and the audience is invited to join her in a wonderfully daft celestial adventure.

Without further ado, here is our interview:

Lunartic, it’s a clever, playful, fun name, what inspired you to call your show this?

I quite like using references to madness because I’ve very often been called those things. My 2018 show was called *Fruit Loop*. So I think the titles just come from all the things I’ve been rightly or wrongly called along the way.

2. Lunartic was a sell-out show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has now transferred to Soho Theatre. How does that feel, to know your show has life beyond a major festival, and what does it take to tour it?

Incredible! I’m so, so happy that I get to make what’s in my brain and people fancy coming to watch it.

I think the key to touring something is being sure people will come. I’ve started a mailing list, maybe that will help!

3. Interestingly, the characters in this play are the sun and the moon, with the moon putting on a show and the sun reminding it that it is also required. What inspired this concept?

Well, I sort of thought about the moon and wondered if she minds that, if the sun switched off, she’d just be a sort of big rock in the dark.

I’ve had times where I’ve felt a bit like a big old rock in the dark, so I sort of connected with that idea.

I like the thought that everybody loves the sun so much and is so happy when it’s around, but what if he was a bit of a dick, the villain of the piece I guess.

4. The themes are loneliness and big dreams. How did you weave these into such a celestial storyline, and why do you feel they’re important themes to focus on?

I have always felt like the moon looks so isolated and sad… I would always talk to the moon after gigs like a really trusty nocturnal colleague.

I liked the idea that she worked nights but also love the way she pops out in the day sometimes, and I imagined the sun being a bit cross about that, like she’s stepping on his shift a bit.

5. Since your show covers big dreams, what is one of your big dreams and why?

I had an actual dream that I was a clown wobbling around Liberty, that was quite nice, that feels within my reach. But career dreams… I would love to work with Julia Davis or make film, but also, hand on heart, I’d like to buy a pig.

6. What do you hope people take away from the show?

Well, nothing, because I will need all the props for the next night. It’s too stressful when people take everything home with them.

7. You were BAFTA nominated for Channel Three’s *Please Help*. Did you go to the party, what was that like? If you didn’t, what did it feel like to know you were nominated for such a prestigious award?

I did go to the party and I felt like a competition winner, but it was bonkers and amazing.

My mum lost her shoe, not because she’s such a liability, but the cloakroom threw them away, which wasn’t ideal, to be honest with you.

8. You starred in Dave’s Red Dwarf feature-length special. What was your best experience within this show?

Oh God, walking on set, meeting the cast, wearing fake custom made fang teeth, pretending I was in space. But my favourite bit was probably eating croissants with Craig Charles.

9. What’s next for you in your successful career?

I think it’s: buy a pig, then off to Hollywood… with the pig. Me and the pig, the pig’s flying and I’m holding on for dear life… could happen!

You can take a trip to the moon, via Soho theatre by checking out the box office here: https://sohotheatre.com/

Follow her Lucy Pearman here:
Instagram: lpeaman
Website: lucypearman.com

#Interview with Lorna Rose Treen By Lou about 24 Hour Diner People #RoseTreen @Instalorns @sohotheatre #24HourDinerPeople

Interview with Lorna Rose Treen
about 24 Hour Diner People

Soho Theatre – 8th – 13th September 2025

Interview conducted by Louise Cannon

I had the pleasure of interviewing the award-winning actor Lorna Rose Treen about her popular show, 24 Hour Diner People now at Soho Theatre, London. In August 2025, it sold out all 30 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, coupled with many glowing reviews, it’s the successful stage show you don’t want to miss!
Find out a bit about it below and then onto the interview. At the end of the interview, you can find out how you can get your hands on tickets so you can see the show yourselves and the awards won.
*Please note, I am not affiliated to anyone or anything.

24 Hour Diner People offers up a full-fat collection of eccentric, escapist, and delightfully silly characters – all served with a side of proper jokes. Expect to meet a waitress who dreams of flying, a trucker with unusually long arms, a woman who’s kept her umbilical cord, a 1960s spy on a caffeine high, and a teenager giddy from her first kiss – all somehow coexisting in a strange, time-warped roadside diner.

1. You sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and had to add extra dates due to demand for your show 24 Hour Diner People. What did that feel like at the largest festival in the world and what are your hopes as your tour it to Soho theatre, London?

It felt like an administrative error! But no it was honestly so nice to see the tickets flying, especially because no one had seen the finished show yet so it was mostly selling because people wanted to spend time with me whatever it was I was gonna do. What a lovely compliment!

2. You have some eccentric characters in your show. Are there particular people or idiosyncrasies you’ve observed in human behaviour to create your characters?

I love watching documentaries and imitating the way we used to speak in the past. I am a nightmare to watch TV with because I parrot whatever is being said and try to copy the intonation. My grandma taught me this, we were a nightmare duo.

3. What inspired you to create characters that are seen as being “voiceless” and giving them a voice and in a comical way?

I like watching the background characters in films and TV, especially from years gone by. I love giving a 5 minute monologue to a character who is a background character for a reason. So often these are women, whilst the men get to be funny in the spotlight, so it’s fun to put the attention on the women and make them get the laughs.

4. The diner you’ve created sounds brilliant fun. You say it’s a fantasy Americana seen through your Midlander eyes. What was the pull for you to build this type dineras the premise for you show?

Fringe is long, and if your show has life after fringe – it’s even longer. I wanted to build an environment I wanted to lock in and spend a lot of time in. Americans who’ve seen the show have commented that I clearly love the mundanity of the day to day, but for me a diner in America is a most exciting place to be. Growing up there were diners in every sitcom, drama, musical and film. Even though they weren’t real, they hold a place of play and joy andescapism built entirely from fiction and dreams, that you just couldn’t get in Redditch’s (now defunct) Chicago Rock Cafe.

5. If you could meet anyone in a diner, who would it be and why?

I’d like to meet James Broom from sixthform because he still owes me £20.

6. You’re no stranger to comedy and have worked with Emily Atack on her show (ITV), Time of the Week (BBC R4), true crime mockumentary, Criminally Untrue and more… what was it like to work on such huge hits and people and how do you take those experiences forward into your expanding comedic career?

Time of the Week is my radio show I co-created with Jonathan Oldfield. We star in it alongside Sian Clifford, who is unbelievably funny. It’s such an honour to be stupid alongside her. She’s like, properly properly good. Series 2 is coming out later this year, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear the nonsense we have written and made Sian say. The writers room and cast are made up of people we not only find incredibly funny, but also people who we love working with. I think sometimes solo performing can feel a little lonely (not when you’re on stage connecting with an audience, but all the organising and writing process). So time of the week is a real beacon for me to connect with my fellow character colleagues like Ada Player and Alice Cockayne, Jodie Mitchell, and Jonathan. And touch base with some of the best new writers like Priya Hall. It’s a real delight to bounce your ideas off someone you think is the funniest person in the world. There’s a reason why American comedy is so successful and I think a big factor is the writer room culture. It really grows and nurtures talent.

7. Going back to 24 Hour Diner People, what do you hope people will take away from it.

I just want them to have had a stupid nice time. I don’t think my comedy will ever make you learn nothin.

8. Where can people follow you on social media?

Instalorns on instagram

LornaRegionalTransport on TikTok

Deborah Meaden on Linked in

Lorna Rose Treen will be performing 24 Hour Diner People at Soho Theatre from 8^th-13^th September. Tickets here – https://sohotheatre.com/events/lorna-rose-treen-24-hour-diner-people/

Chortle’s Best Alternative Act 2024 – Winner

Channel 4 Sean Lock Award 2023 – Finalist

Dave’s Best Joke of the Fringe 2023 – Winner

Chortle’s Best Newcomer 2023 – Winner

BBC New Comedian 2023 – Semi Finalist

Funny Women Stage Award 2022 – Winner

Funny Women Comedy Shorts Award 2022 – Winner

#Interview by Lou with Max Fulham about his show Full of Ham at #EdFringe @ThePleasance @maxfulhamcomedy #Comedy

Interview with Max Fulham about Full of Ham

conducted by Bookmarks and Stages – Louise Cannon

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Max Fulham to Bookmarks and Stages for a Q&A session on his comedy act, playfully named, Full of Ham.

Max Fulham likes to make people laugh through ventriloquism (vent). It’s perhaps not quite all as you’d expect. He has put his own twist on this art-form. He’s worked with some of the biggest stars in show-biz like Craig-Revel Horwood and Mel Giedroyc. He started out in Linlithgow, which is not too far from Edinburgh

Without further ado, let’s find out more through the interview.

You’re known for modernising and bringing new audiences to ventriloquism, but who or what inspired you to take up this artform and create stage shows with it?

How did you train to do ventriloquism?

I taught myself as a child and there was a little worn patch of carpet in front of the mirror in my bedroom where I used to stand and practice. My first puppet was a little pink hand puppet and it was the first of many over the years I asked for for subsequent birthdays and Christmases. It probably took me a few years before I was even half decent and I am grateful I was still a child because being a bit rubbish can be sort of endearing then!

I took up ventriloquism (or vent if you’re really cool) after my parents bought me a puppet for Christmas when I was nine. I have been hooked on it since then! Having done it for a good few years now, one of the things I realised is that a lot of audiences had never seen ventriloquism live before and also had a few preconceptions about it being a bit old and naff. I suppose that is the main inspiration for trying to take it in some new directions or simply to use it to create the funniest things I can. I have been inspired by many of the greats over the years like Ray Alan and Terri Rogers and I think looking back has what has gone before can be a great jumping off point when wanting to take things in a different direction.

Your style is very different from having a dummy on your knee. You’ve decided to create an inner monologue, use inanimate objects and expressions.

What inspired you to do it this way and what themes do you tend to lean towards in this show and why?

It’s fun to play with what people expect from a ventriloquist and twist it into something slightly different. There may be a puppet as you’d expect at one moment but it becomes something unexpected. I have also really enjoyed exploring stuff that doesn’t use a puppet, what happens if there are multiple characters onstage but I’m the only person there? In terms of themes I feel that the show really goes from the everyday to the absurd, from supermarket checkouts to a box full of intrusive thoughts.

You started life in Linlithgow and then headed to clubs and cruise ships, now home to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. How has your travels influenced what you bring to your shows?

My travels have enabled me to perform for such a wide variety of audiences which is invaluable experience for any performer. What will sometimes work in one scenario will not work in another and I hope that I am slightly better at working that out now after performing all over the place. The vibe I always want to create in my shows is a sense of unity that we are all there in a room and I have some fun things to show you.

Rowan Atkinson, Mel Giedroyc, Craig Revel Horwood and Terry Fator famously highly rate you, which is fantastic. How did that come about and how does this add to shaping your career as you progress ever forwards?

I have been lucky enough to work with or meet some phenomenal people and some true comedy heroes. I worked with Craig Revel Horwood in pantomime last year, he was the Hook to my Smee and we had a great time! I worked with Mel Giedroyc on her show Unforgivable and she has been encouraging me to do the Fringe since then! Getting to meet and work with these wonderful people is often a nice reassurance that I’m getting at least something right… it also looks good on the poster and I’m very grateful for their kind words!

You’re billed to be appearing in Panto with Alexandra Burke and Dr. Ranj, how are you preparing for that and are you able to share what it will be and where?

Yes! I’m off to Neverland this Christmas (read: Southampton). It is shaping up to be a fantastic show from what I have heard in the meetings I have had so far. One of the amazing things about panto though is that it comes together so quickly and we only start rehearsals a week and a half before the show opens so preparations come a lot later in the year!

What’s next for your solo ventriloquism shows?

I would just quite like to continue doing my nonsense and making people laugh. I am excited to see where the characters and ideas from this Fringe show go, I have a feeling a few of them may have life beyond this show!

Where can people follow you on social media?

You can follow me on Instagram @MaxFulham and on TikTok and Facebook @maxfulhamcomedy.

Max Fulham has brought his show ‘Full of Ham’ to the Edinburgh Fringe the August, every night at 6.40pm in the Pleasance Courtyard. For tickets and more information, visit:: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/max-fulham-full-ham

#Review of Ian Smith – Foot Spa Half Empty by Bookmarks and Stages – Lou. @Iansmithcomedy @TextualHealing2 @BarrelComedy #StandupComedy #Comedy #EdFringe #EdFringe25

Ian Smith – Foot Spa Half Empty

Review by Bookmarks and Stages – Louise Cannon

Stand up comedian Ian Smith from Have I Got News For You; Live at the Apollo, Just A Minute, The News Quiz etc fame has a live stand-up comedy show not to be missed! The Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh provides a great venue for this. If you want an hour of sheer laughter, this is the stand-up show for you.

Ian Smith is a top notch comedian! It is excellently hilarious, always hitting the highest notes of comedy.

To find out what he has to say about Edinburgh Fringe leaflets, what Netflix has to do with roast dinners, some tastefully done IVF jokes of his experiences, stress and basketball hoops, you need to see the show.

Ian Smith goes from story to story, full of jokes, succinctly with excellent comic timing, then expertly weaving references to part of a previous joke together for great linkage.

I went with my friend Orla (not associated with Bookmarks and Stages, just a friend visiting, who says:

‘”Absolutely fantastic – brilliantly told stories woven together into a hilarious, clever performance.”

This show and it’s absolutely fantastic. People who see a full show of this when one materialises are in for a real treat. For now, head to The Monkey Barrell venue in Edinburgh to catch this particular show. It’s an hour of laughter very well spent. You can get your ticket to the show of much entertainment here: Ian Smith Foot Spa Half Empty

#Review of ChristBride by Bebe Cave #BebeCave @ThePleasance #EdFringe #CHRISTBRIDE #Comedy

Bebe Cave: CHRISTBRIDE

review by Bookmarks and Stages – Louise Cannon

Is she a witch or not? What has made Batilda face this predicament she now finds herself in?

Set in Medieval times, Bebe Cave holds her audience in a bubble of laughter and draws you in with her gaze and compelling performance for an hour.

History and modern times is intelligently blended together in a powerhouse of energy of a performance by Bebe Cave, who comes across as absolutely fearless on stage whilst playing Batilda, Knights of the Realm and more characters… She does this with fun, farcical, caricature type comedy, but grounds it with elements of truthfulness and realities that people can also relate to nowadays.

Batilda is at that stage of life where she wants adventure and to break free of the shackles of what is expected of her as a woman. She is coming of age and has strong desires to be different from the rest of her family. She also wants big, radical change in herself and to become a Christbride, which throws up some interesting conversations between her and God and so much more…

To find out what happens to Batilda and if she is a witch or not, check out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival link here: ChristBride

Synopsis

In the dark, deathly world of the Middle Ages, one (annoying) woman strives to find the light. Join Christbride, a female mystic in a world of male dullards, as she escapes from a life of monotony to a life of devotion. Bebe Cave presents her debut character comedy show. In a time where people believe anything, Christbride is a wild historical farce about what happens when you believe in yourself a little too much. Previous Praise: ***** (Everything-Theatre.co.uk). ***** (TheRecs.co.uk). ***** (BookmarksandStages.home.blog). ***** (@theatrebab, Instagram). **** (List). **** (EdFestMag.com).

#EdFringe News: Luigi: The Musical – A Dark Comedic Musical With A Viral Response #Theatre #Comedy #Musical #Political #LGBTQ+ #EdFringe

LUIGI: THE MUSICAL

ANNOUNCES EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL RUN AUG 19-23

Dark Comedic Musical With A Viral Response Performing 5 Shows At Just The Tonic / Just The Club / August 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23 at 8pm

Age: 18+ Cost: £10.00

RUN-TIME: 90 minutes

-FRINGE TICKET LINK-

Written by Nova Bradford, Caleb Zeringue, Arielle Johnson and Andre Margatini

Music by Arielle Johnson, Lyrics by Johnson and Bradford

“Truly excellent satire… nearly too hot to touch.” – The Independent

“Hilarious in its irreverence and uncomfortable in the truth-telling under the jokes, Luigi has rightfully drawn the attention of media outlets across the country.” – Broke Ass Stuart

“Luigi: the Musical digs at some of the questions facing American culture today” – SF Gate

“Terrible.” – San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco, CA – Aug 5, 2025 – Luigi: The Musical, the dark comedic musical which has evoked a resounding, viral response since its announcement and has sold out every single one of its performances to date, has decided last-minute to bring its acclaimed show to the Edinburgh Fringe for 5 shows at Just the Tonic/ Just the Club. In many conversations, the team says they’ve been asked many times if they’re going to the Fringe and finally after being offered space and dates, they’re going for it. “We’re thrilled to be making our international debut at the legendary Edinburgh Fringe Festival! We just hope the hash brown humor translates across the pond,” said co-writer and one of the stars of the show, Caleb Zeringue.

The show is a darkly funny one-act musical where healthcare, tech, and celebrity collide in a Brooklyn prison cell. Inspired by the true fact that Luigi Mangione, Diddy and Sam Bankman-Fried, three high-profile public figures were held simultaneously at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, the show is set in a prison cell shared by the disgraced crypto mogul, infamous media executive, and the viral Italian sensation and accused assassin, guarded by one confused Sergeant. What starts as chaos turns into a surreal plan for freedom and unexpected fame. From fan mail to absurd schemes, Luigi discovers what happens when broken people become icons in a broken world. Wild, satirical, and complete with original music, this show asks who we choose to believe in when our institutions fall apart.

Imagining the events of the short time that all three were in the same prison at the same time, Luigi uses absurdist humor and original music to explore corporate greed, public spectacle, and the creation of viral folk heroes in the internet age. Said head writer Nova Bradford, “the show really shines a light on the cultural obsession with downfall and redemption, as well as viral fame and the way violence is packaged and sold to us.” The show has quickly drawn mixed attention from news outlets both excited, inspired, confused, and outraged by what they might imagine the show to be, but now the press can come experience the show for themselves.

-FRINGE TICKET LINK- Cost: £10.00 RUN-TIME: 90 minutes