After two seasons in the 11pm slot at Jermyn Street Theatre, London, it was time to unleash “Malcolm Marvelle – Master of Mystery (Richard Leigh) and the lovely Rita (Naomi Paxton)” onto the Edinburgh Fringe. And they fitted in rather well alongside the many other bizarre acts in town. With no sponsorship, funds were tight, and as newcomers, securing a central venue for just one week at a 10pm timeslot—right in the festival’s peak—was no small feat. Finding a proscenium stage large enough for the bigger illusions added to the challenge. And to top it all, I’d never been a producer before (Richard had handled the previous seasons), so I was learning on the job. But we did it.
Our venue, the suitably gothic St Augustine’s on George Street, had seating for 120. On our best day, we had just under 40. On our worst, a family of three. Financially I lost money “papering the house” (when you give tickets away for free just to get bums on seats), but it could have been much worse had nobody even seen it. Luck played a part, but so did relentless rallying and leafleting.
Publicity helped. Naomi plugged the show in character with an interview on Festival Radio and even secured a guest spot for Malcolm and Rita on “The Neil & Christine Hamilton Show.” Unfortunately, the venue was at full capacity, so I wasn’t allowed in to see it—gutted! But a few days later, I happened to run into the Hamiltons on the street. When I mentioned I was the writer/director, they praised Malcolm and Rita enthusiastically, which was an amusing moment given the parallels between the two couples—both featuring a dominant matriarch and a quieter, henpecked husband. We also had two 15-minute slots on the street stage, though, sadly, one was lost to the appalling weather. On the bright side, our poster design came runner-up in the Zebra Awards 2006.
Over the seasons at Jermyn Street, we had many guest magicians. For Edinburgh, my top pick was Jay Fortune, so I was elated when he agreed. Jay is an amazing magician (and author) with a natural patter that endears him to any audience, even the wildly diverse crowds of Edinburgh. Crucially, he was one of the few magicians “game” enough to play in Malcolm and Rita’s world, ensuring the show remained cohesive. He even joked that he was only there “to cover a costume change”—the audiences loved him.
I now see why people get addicted to the Edinburgh Fringe. For four weeks of the year, all the big fish from the small ponds across the country come together and build each other up. Their energy on stage is matched by their enthusiasm as audience members. Good old-fashioned “word of mouth” thrives here. My only gripe is the increasing commercial presence, which threatens to suffocate emerging talent the fringe festival was designed to nurture—especially as big-name TV comedians use prime fringe venues as open rehearsal spaces before embarking on their national tours. Is that really the spirit of the Fringe?
Still, if you’ve ever thought about taking something to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival my advice would be this: Don’t think….do!
If you ever saw the show and are feeling nostalgic, here’s a selection of some of the music that was used in the project between 2005 – 2007