Feature Category: Interviews

Jamie Denbo is an American writer, producer, and comedian born in Boston, but now lives in Los Angeles. They are also co-executive producer and writer on Grey’s Anatomy, as well as experienced member of legendary comedy troupe, the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre. Their latest stage show is Beverly Live!, which they’re putting on at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. We caught up with them to find out more.

STARBURST: How would you pitch Jamie Denbo: Beverly Live to a controlling elderly relative with bad hearing?

Jamie Denbo: “Hey Aunt Ruthie, come see this documentary about your life!” Kidding. Beverly has more ‘selective’ hearing than bad hearing. I think Aunt Ruthie would enjoy Beverly Live because it would be validating for her. When my mother comes to see the show, she recognizes all of her friends – women of a certain age trying too hard to be cool. Be sure to tell Aunt Ruthie that I’ll save her the best seat with the best view in the house*. Older women LOVE to go VIP. *Every seat has a great view. Don’t tell her.

And how would you pitch it to someone who someone who is a huge fan of Ghostbusters or Family Guy?

You saw Jamie Denbo as a waitress for five seconds in the all-female Ghostbusters and you heard Jamie Denbo scream on one episode of Family Guy, now is your chance to see her not waiting tables or screaming! And for a longer period of time! On a stage! In a wig! This is what you never knew you wanted! Come see Jamie Denbo as a hilarious older Jewish woman in a wig! Then look Jamie Denbo up and see all the other things she’s had five seconds of screen time in! There are weirdly a lot.

Why do you have a bell? Why do you need that?

Beverly is a 74-year-old woman who’s doing her best. But even when she does her best, she often falls short. She is learning (as we all are) what’s appropriate and what’s not- where the line is. The BELL is there for someone hipper, cooler and more culturally sensitive to ‘ding’ her when or if she says anything ‘problematic’. Beverly would say it is “so the audience knows what to be triggered or offended by”. For example, Beverly on her twin girls: “I love them both equally. Except the fat one.” (DING!)

What are the origins of this show?

The character of Beverly started in 2005 as part of a duo called ‘Ronn and Beverly’. We had a successful run as a podcast, TV show and live act, performing all over the US and UK. When we parted ways in 2017, I thought I would only return to the character when the time was right. And after a long break, I decided to bring the character back in 2023, when it felt like the world needed her opinions and point of view. And by then – and now – I think we all REALLY needed to laugh. So, Beverly emerged from her cocoon*, older, wiser and transformed in other more enlightened ways. *She is convinced she left an earring in there, however, and has called the Cocoon company no less than 400 times since emerging last year. They finally blocked her.

What’s more rewarding: script writing or performance?

For me, the most rewarding thing is to perform my own material, so Beverly Live is really the perfect scenario. I can write and improvise what I want and perform it as I see fit. That said, I love writing scripts for TV and watching other brilliant – mostly far better-looking – performers bring my words to life. So… I guess the answer is really all of the above.

Why the Edinburgh Fringe? What other festivals/conventions are you planning on being part of?

I was at the Edinburgh Fringe 14 years ago with the double act, so it feels like I am returning home. I am even staying with the same locals I befriended back in 2010! I plan to return to the San Francisco Sketch Fest again next year and I have always wanted to do the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. What I really hope is that Beverly is well-received enough in Edinburgh for me to bring her to more venues in and around the UK. No one really understands the comedy of an embarrassing American Auntie like the UK. She won’t rest until she can get Kate some unsolicited parenting advice. She finds Charlotte’s looks a little risqué for that age. DING! 

What sort of guests do you expect to have on Beverly Live this year?
All sorts! Bev will aim high [Hannah Gadsby, Alan Cumming] and low (whoever is this year’s pre-Baby Reindeer Richard – some shmuck performing for three people in a shady pub). We are still booking, so no guarantees. You never know who might turn up on any given night – allowing themselves to be interrogated by Bev in the hopes of promoting their own fringe show. Beverly Live is fun for guests because they get to just relax and just be themselves WHILE getting steamrolled by a woman who could be the lovechild of Jiminy Glick and Joan Rivers – and the audience is always on their side.

What’s been the hardest part of getting this show produced so far?

I have stellar producers on the ground in Edinburgh, including Barry Church-Woods of Civil Disobedience, so getting produced in the literal sense hasn’t been that hard. I am 14 years older than I was the last time I did the Fringe, and I have to work much harder to be physically healthy and strong enough to run. So, I’ve been working out, eating well, and shaping up! Okay, yeah – so I guess what’s genuinely hard is admitting that I have done none of those things.

What has been the most ridiculous moment so far?
Throwing on my Beverly costume, wig and makeup in my Grey’s Anatomy office to do a promotional video for the fringe and then walked in on by a fellow Grey’s writer who wasn’t familiar with my alter ego. He was pretty sure I was having some sort of psychotic break. And I have yet to convince him otherwise.

What’s your next big project after the Fringe has ended?
I will be back at Grey’s Anatomy for Series 21! And I hope to pitch some new original projects as well. I also appeared as a guest star on an episode of 9-1-1 entitled Buck, Bothered and Bewildered that should air in the UK soon if it hasn’t already. Another episode of something good or something bad – you decide.

Simpsons or Futurama?
Futurama – Katey Sagal can do no wrong.

Kirk or Picard?
Kirk. William Shatner was born in Montreal! Like Beverly!

Doctor No or Doctor Strange?
Doctor Jay Schapira M.D. – top cardiologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

Truth or Beauty?
BEAUTY. Because you don’t have to tell the TRUTH about whichever plastic surgery you’ve gotten to achieve it.

You can book tickets for Beverly Live here.

Josephine McAdam is a London-based French/Scottish actor known for their work in horror anthologies such as The Mortuary Collection and Scare Package. Josephine plays the lead in Hard Reset and also recurred in HBO’s The Leftovers Season 2, Actual-play RPG fans will know them shows such as LA by Night, Battle for Beyond, Haunted City, and more. They are coming to Edinburgh to be part of a special actual play show, Call of Cthulhu – Live in the Library. We caught up with her to find out more.

STARBURST: What is Call of Cthulhu – Live in the Library?
Josephine McAdam: A three-hour improvised show using the Call of Cthulhu RPG ruleset to frame a 1920s mythos scenario set in Edinburgh’s Garrick Theatre! Creative director Mike Mason will act as Keeper of Arcane lore, guiding four brave Investigators through this tale.

You can find out more about Chaosium, here and book for the show here and find out more about Josephine McAdam here.

 We caught up with director Sudi Green to talk about their new Edinburgh Festival Fringe Show, Worse Than You.  You can book tickets for the show here.

STARBURST: How would you pitch Worse Than You to an elderly relative who loves to pretend they’re shocked by rude words?
Ugh, you know how the current generation is obsessed with actually getting to the root of their problems? And refuse to shut up and stuff their emotions in a box to be buried with? I know, I wish they would too. Well this play is about a young person who went to a GOOD college and is delightfully neurotic in a ‘Monica from Friends’ way!

And how would you pitch it to someone who is a huge fan of Captain America?
 Big bang. Crash! Boom. LOUD Music. Sexy girl. Oh no, crying? But don’t worry, haha! Sexy girl again. She crazy. But hot. Oooh singing!

What are the origins of this show?
Mo is my best friend, and we had driven nine hours to Sedona, Arizona, for her birthday so we could lay down with horses for healing.

Not quite sure the details because we never ended up going to the horses because the horse healing woman had a chaotic energy over text. Anyway! I know Mo is so creative, funny, cares about poetry, which I only pretend to care about.

But lately, she had had trouble getting a creative project off the ground. I suggested she do something like a one-woman show because she could work more independently, and it would be more of a streamlined road to fruition. Obviously, she could depend on me because I had driven 9 hours not to cuddle a horse for her. The rest is history!

Why do we dwell on past relationships so much?
One of my favorite phrases is ‘what other people think about me is none of my business.’ This is because if I focus on other people’s opinions, I will let them dictate my actions, which is no fun. But I can only do that now because, as an adult, I have something really cool called ‘a sense of self.’ But when we’re growing up, we can only form ourselves in response to past relationships. There’s no other data and other people are feedback to how we understand ourselves. And hopefully, you can just avoid assholes that will throw you off.

What’s been the hardest part of the production so far?
We have done this show in many different theatres with fearless techs who jump right in, but there is never enough tech rehearsal time. Whatever tech time we agree to I need to add four hours and a bottle of wine.

What is the most important lesson to learn during rehearsal?
Cut a bitch. Cut cut cut cut, no one was ever mad anything was too short. When something is shorter, dinner is earlier.

What has been the most ridiculous moment so far?
There is a moment in the play where Mo drops a massive Hitachi wand vibrator and it vibrates in circles on the floor. There was one time in rehearsals when the vibrator fell off the stage and vibrated into the audience. I’m praying to the Fringe gods that happens again!

Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
We’ve had many friends who have gone to Fringe and describe it as an experience like none other. Also, after the play, people often ask what’s next, and we can say, “We’re going to Fringe!” And then people smile and nod really hard and there’s a look of vague approval in their eyes that puts me at ease.

What’s your next big project after the Fringe has ended?
I’m really excited about the podcast the show has inspired, Worse Than You with Mo Fry Pasic, where we talk to artists about their process and also get to gab and chi chi chi. The first iteration of the pod is Mo talking to other Fringe artists, but we’re planning to continue beyond Fringe. Can’t wait to chat with other amazing creatives about what did and didn’t work on their journey!

Simpsons or Futurama?
Simpsons. “My cat’s breath smells like cat food.”

Captain America or Batman?

Batman. Cooler house, but I miss the nipples on the bat suit from the Joel Schumacher movies. Bring back the nip!

The Little Mermaid or Lilo & Stitch?
Sudi Green: Lilo & Stitch. I saw Stitch three times in one weekend recently and it felt like a sign. One Stitch was hanging from a rearview mirror covered in rosaries. Bless me, Stitch!

Truth or Beauty?

Sudi Green: Truth because I love when something is so real that the only thing you can do is laugh.

Learn more about the show here. And read the interview with Mo here. You can find the Worse Than You Show Podcast wherever you find good podcasts, and you can book for Sudi & Mo’s live show here.

Ash Pryce is a paranormal illusionist and horror entertainer.  He has been performing supernatural-themed magic for 15 years and has toured extensively with his shows.  His style of magic is a mix of mentalism and Bizarre Magic [weird, spooky, eerie, story-driven].  In 2016, Ash was one of the founders of the Edinburgh Horror Festival, which he still chairs. We caught up with him to find out what he’s up to at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

STARBURST: How would you pitch Ghosts to someone who’s a fan of Penn and Teller?
Ash Pryce: If you’ve seen them talk on the topic of mentalism and weird magic, you’ll likely be aware they have some strong words for performers to keep the dishonesty honest – Penn especially has made no secret of his disdain for performers who insist their abilities are really supernatural, or misusing science. What I do is theatre. It might mix in classic elements of seances, such as spirit slates and Ouija Boards, but I want to make sure that my audience experiences entertainment first and foremost. I think in terms of the actual content and style, the show is very different to the type of thing P&T do, but if you like their more sceptical side, you might appreciate a spooky show that plays with all the tropes of séance but isn’t trying to mislead you into thinking it’s anything more than a fun, freaky, hour.      

And how would you pitch it to someone who gory horror movies?
If you like Saw or Friday the 13th, and that’s the horror you like, there are definitely things about this that will connect to that. Gory films feature a lot of elements that are key components of more Gothic or ghost-based horror – suspense, uncertainty, and a threat looming in the dark. Those things play into a good ghost story as well.  The stories told around how ghosts came to be, or their acts against the living, can evoke the same discomfort and unease you get from a slasher. Gory films could almost be the set up for a later ghost or supernatural chiller, and that set-up bleeds through into the stories that are told.  You can’t have a ghost without the dead, and death and gore are frequently intertwined. 

Why do we still love magic shows?
Magic taps into so many parts of us- we’re problem solvers, and as a species, it’s one of our defining traits. So, having a puzzle to solve, for many, is a major draw. Not knowing and wanting to know stimulates our brain and keeps us thinking, working that grey matter. We love a mystery. But there’s more to it, magic creates a world where we can let our imaginations run free and experience something that takes us back to that exciting, dream like world of childhood. It’s playing, and the audience gets to be a part of that play. It feels good to experience wonder, and you can’t get true wonder in other art forms the same way you can in magic. You know how special effects are accomplished in movies even if you don’t know how to work After Effects, but in magic, the wonder comes not just from seeing something impossible but from having no clue as to how it was achieved – it’s the closest you can get to actual miracles.

How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
This is very much what I do. I started performing demonstrations of things like telekinesis – moving objects apparently with the mind – as part of a talk on psychic trickery when I was involved in a science outreach group, and over time, the science talk component fell away, and the focus became the spooky illusions. Being involved with the Edinburgh Horror Festival for nearly a decade, as well as having some disabilities that impact how much I can take on, means horror entertainment and spookiness have become my main focus. This show is the evolution of a show that began in 2019 as Ash Pryce: Paranormal Illusionist. This show, Ghosts, is the latest version of that and has changed and developed over time, so you’d certainly get something different if you’ve seen it before. 

Why Edinburgh?
The very boring answer is I live here. But it’s more than that; why do I stay here? Edinburgh is a beautiful city; it has a buzz throughout the year that intensifies in August.  And it’s the perfect location for a spooky magic show.  The city has such a strong connection to horror, the magical, and the supernatural – you can’t walk more than a few feet in the Old Town without being reminded of this. The tales of ghosts stalking the underground streets, dating back centuries, the narrow wynds and closes, the twisted trade in human remains during the Victorian era, ghostly carriages thundering down the Royal Mile, the Wizard of the Westbow and his demonic obsession, the truly abhorrent witch trials and all that comes with them.

The city is simply dripping in this dark history and occult fascination. And added to that is its connection to magic – the death of the Great Lafayette in 1911, when the Festival Theatre burned, killing him, his funeral procession down Princes Street attracting more people than a recent visit by the King. Visits from legends of the genre – Houdini was once photographed hanging from the gates by Waverley Station. And as far as dark, unsettling magic goes, Edinburgh was home to the man who is one of the most important names in the history of Bizarre Magic – Charles Cameron, a magician who had his own theatre above the old Wax Work Museum in Old Assembly Close – Castle Dracula where every night for years he would dress as the Vampire Count and entertain audiences from around the world with his unique style of dark, occult-themed magic. I feel a connection with what he was doing. Edinburgh is a city of horror, a City of Ghosts, a City of Magic, it’s why I stay here.  That’s why Edinburgh.

What was the biggest obstacle to getting the show made?
Honestly, some might find it a little depressing – but I have a couple of chronic illnesses that severely impact what I can do and when. It makes functioning day to day a roll of the dice, and it’s why I’m doing reduced runs at the Fringe these days mixed with guest slots and a few out-of-city gigs with people who know about my health and can help support me – the days of 60 shows a Fringe plus guest slots are gone – I’m doing two full shows in Edinburgh and five elsewhere. I don’t know if my health will ever allow me to do more, but if I don’t do something, then the disability will eat at me. I do as much as my health allows, but that’s the biggest obstacle to getting anything done, not just the show. It might look like I’m doing a lot, but people don’t see the 70% of the time when I can’t function. I pace myself and do as much as I can when my body allows me because I never know when I won’t be able to.

What is your favourite moment in the show?
I think it has to be when the Ouija Board does its thing. It’s the only part of the show I would say isn’t a ‘trick’ in some way, at least not in the traditional way we think of magic tricks. The Ouija Board really does react, and the planchette you place your finger on moves to spell out the name of the spirit the sitters are all thinking of. I don’t know when we begin if it will spell something out or what it might spell out. It’s an experience.  It’s a really strong part of the show that can have very powerful reactions – I’ve had people run out of the venue terrified. No one cheats and pushes the planchette, and there are no magnets, thread, or well-trained ants hidden in the feet of the planchette – I tried that; they unionised and now work in IT. 

Should magic be spooky or funny?
I don’t think it ‘should’ be either. I think it can be either, or it can be neither; it can even be both. The only thing it should be is entertaining. I’ve seen a lot of magic over the years, and some of the best, most powerful magic I’ve seen has been very, very simple in its method but is elevated to incredible heights by the right performer. I think that, with any creative endeavour, you need levels and different tones throughout. My show is spooky, but also has some funny moments – if it were all completely spooky with no shift in tone, it isn’t enjoyable; it’s a barrage of the same feeling, and that isn’t good, it’s not how horror should be for a start. It needs colour, texture, and flavour. 

Where else can we see you?
I’ll be doing a few guest slots on Violet’s Vaudeville Vault at Three Sisters during the first couple of weeks, testing new material for a new show I’m developing. I’ll also be touring Ghosts as part of a double bill event called  A Night of Ghosts, along with my friend Des O’Gorman, who has a comedy show about the Ghostbusters, which pays tribute to it and has some really lovely emotional moments. It’s a fun double event, and that’ll be visiting Glasgow, York, Leicester, Sheffield, and Matlock Bath in August. Then, if you’re local to Edinburgh, you can find me in the Banshee Labyrinth on the first and third Saturdays of each non-Fringe month, where I do a show called Ghosts of the Banshee, which is an alt-version of my Fringe/touring show and focuses entirely on the ghostly goings on of Scotland’s Most Haunted Pub.  

What’s next?
Once August is out of the way, I go back to my regular shows at Banshee Labyrinth, I’m developing a new show called The Discoverie of Witchcraft, which I tested in 2022 and that looks at Scotland’s witchcraft past told through magic. I’m also performing at Glasgow Horror Con in September, but the big thing is the Edinburgh Horror Festival. I’m the chair and co-founder of the Festival, and that happens in October. Mainly at the Banshee Labyrinth, we have four spaces in there and almost 30 different shows over the Halloween weekend – theatre, comedy, storytelling, workshops, and, of course, some suitably spooky magic. In fact, this year, we’re doing a Horror of the Fringe award. Usually, we’re quiet in August, but this year, we’ll be going out to see horror Fringe shows and giving out awards for things like best theatre, best performer, best original script, etc at a ceremony at Banshee Labyrinth on August 21st. We want to celebrate horror at the Fringe, it’s a growing genre, and to be honest, it’s disappointing to see it still relegated to some niche interest- it’s really not.  Spooky entertainment is here; get used to it!

Shrek or Donkey?
Shrek. He seems like he’d be cuddly. Donkey’s fur is too coarse

Wizards or Warlocks?
Warlocks – bad guys have all the fun.

Simpsons or Futurama?
I remember The Simpsons premiering and how I was worried it would take away the focus from my beloved Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. So, I’m going to say Futurama.

Truth or Beauty?
Truth – Beauty is fleeting; truth is eternal. 

You can find out more about Ash and his show here, and more about the Edinburgh Horror Festival here. 

Zoe Bullock is a Glasgow-based writer and performer who grew up on a menu of Miyazaki, Star Wars, and Ursula le Guin. Their work often explores the intersection between climate crisis, class warfare, and human survival. Their latest show, Gracie and the Start of the End of the World (Again) is an absurd tragi-comic solo show about a horny immortal jellyfish looking for love after the end of the world. She also happens to be a massive fan of human culture, particularly Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Beginning as an attempt at interspecies dating, it becomes a surreal revolution with horrifying consequences. The show is the winner of Assembly’s ART Award, which supports a Scotland-based artist to take work to the Fringe. We caught up with Zoe to find out more.

STARBURST: How would you pitch Gracie and the Start of the End of the World (Again)  to someone who is really into Zombie movies?
Zoe Bullock: Zombie movies are awesome. They’re fun, action-filled, full of iconic characters, can stride the line between horror and comedy like nothing else, and the best ones are secretly about the biggest human questions – what does it mean to be alive?

Gracie is also awesome. It’s fun, action-filled, full of iconic characters, strides the line between horror and comedy like nothing else, and it’s secretly about a big human question – how much longer will we all be alive?

And how would you pitch it to someone who is really into recycling?
If you’re really into recycling, I’d guess you’re probably also a fan of the living world around us. Or at least, you’re into the idea of not destroying the planet we call home. You’re probably an empathetic, nature-loving, socio-politically-conscious soul. You’re also probably a little bit sick of being told to stop using plastic straws – you got that message years ago. Well, boy, oh boy, is this the show for you! Gracie is climate storytelling from left field. It’s about seeing the world from a fresh perspective, having a great time, and caring about creatures other than ourselves without shoving that down audiences’ throats. It’s the theatrical equivalent of a fun tote bag design – environmentally conscious, yes, but it looks good as well.

Is Cli-Fi (climate-inspired fiction) also apocalyptic science fiction, or is it more hopeful?
Ooh, what a great question. Personally, the apocalyptic sci-fi stories I love most all have elements of hope. Post-apocalypse is often about asking the question: can we do better next time? By its very existence, it imagines a world in which at least some of us have survived whatever disaster has befallen us. I think Cli-Fi has to do the same – I’m not interested in depressing people for some nihilist agenda (what’s the point). Imagination is the first step towards change, and climate fiction definitely has its part to play in our future; I think hope often happens organically within a good story.

Why a Jellyfish?
The show was originally inspired by real-life instances of jellyfish blooms blocking up nuclear power station cooling pipes, causing shutdowns (it’s real; google it!). We thought: what if they were doing it on purpose? It’s a fantastical question, but all the best questions are. It’s also allowed us to play in a beautiful visual space costume-wise, which is a bonus. I saw an article recently that jellyfish are apparently the next big thing in red-carpet fashion, so I reckon we’re just about catching that zeitgeist.

Why a horny Jellyfish?
At its heart, Gracie is about the tension between our human capacity for beautiful creativity and tremendous destruction. Gracie the jellyfish is obsessed with pop culture, and her fandoms largely have some kind of romance told through the female lens (she’s a huge Buffy fan). We really wanted to celebrate those stories as an expression of human culture because they’re the ones we grew up with and love. Despite the absurdity of being a jellyfish, Gracie is also a character we want audiences to relate to – and what’s more relatable than that feeling of being almost painfully turned on?

What’s been the hardest part of the production so far?
Learning how to move with the costume. It needs almost constant small movements (think shoulder rolls) to keep it alive. It’s basically like puppeteering your own body whilst trying to do all the other bits of acting – a fun challenge, though!

What is the most important lesson to learn during rehearsal?
Firstly, it’s very, very difficult to hold a script while wearing costume tentacles that cover your thumbs. You can rehearse some shows pretty well before you know all your lines – not this one. More generally, it’s phenomenally important to trust the team around you. Everyone has their expertise, and it’s all those moving parts fitting together at the end that make a show work. It’s sometimes hard to see the big picture when you’re in the thick of it, but you have to let it come together in its own time. You can’t rush a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, and you can’t rush the creative process either, even for the Fringe!

What has been the most ridiculous moment so far?
When you’re making a show about a nerd-turned-revolutionary-maniac jellyfish, it’s basically all one big ridiculous moment. However, there was a point where we thought we would try and get James Marsters (aka Spike) to play a voiceover part; Gracie’s love interest. Our wonderful producer emailed his agent, and there was a brilliant moment where the idea got sent to him, and we absolutely lost it at the idea of James Marsters receiving a request to play a sexy activist turtle. We worried he might think it was a joke – but they took it seriously. Unfortunately, he’s busy on tour and in Australia, so it didn’t work out. Sorry, Buffy fans.

Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
The Fringe has always felt like the perfect home for GRACIE – it’s a melting pot of whacky, experimental theatre, and you can get away with trying things that feel like a creative leap of faith. We also did a scratch night a couple of years ago and got a ton of audience feedback saying it would make a brilliant Fringe show, so we’re giving the people what they want.

What is your favourite moment in the show?
Gracie goes to Comic-Con and tries to seduce Timothee Chalamet. It doesn’t go well.

Where else can we see you?
Hopefully on tour with Gracie after the Fringe! TBC…

What’s your next big project after the Fringe has ended?
It depends a little bit – oh, the joys of freelance life – but I want to direct a short comedy-horror film I’ve written about a woman who finds herself in a toxic codependent relationship with a talking house plant. Think Little Shop of Horrors without the eating people thing.

Simpsons or Futurama?
Simpsons. The show of my childhood.

Sea Horses or Turtles?
TURTLES! (See above re sexy activist love interest)

The Little Mermaid or Lilo & Stitch?
The Little Mermaid. It’s more thematically appropriate.

Doctor No or Doctor Strange?
Doctor Strange. Not the Multiverse of Madness, though. Please.

Truth or Beauty?
Truth, always.

You can book tickets for the show (which is showing at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe) here. You can also follow the show on Instagram here.

Threepenny Collective is a London-based film and theatre group that specialises in strange and unusual stories. Their latest project, Corpse Flower, brings a monstrous tale to the Edinburgh Fringe. We caught up with them to find out more. 

STARBURST: How would you pitch Corpse Flower to a fan of Invader of The Body Snatchers?
Threepenny Collective: Invasion of The Body Snatchers is a very fun reference to the play! In that film, an alien species transforms themselves into impostor humans who lack emotion. We think that Corpse Flower is almost the opposite transformation to that of The Body Snatchers. In Corpse Flower, the 19th-century town’s inhabitants turn from devious, vicious, and unforgiving humans into bugs who are alien and scary but, in some ways, more endearing than their human counterparts. 

And how would you pitch it to someone who only really watches sports?
It’s like watching basketball played by a curling team who have never walked on their own feet before.

Who are the Three Penny Collective, and what’s it all about?
We’re a group of graduates from Cambridge University who created their own production company, Threepenny Collective, last year. Together, we produce theatre and short films for TV and festivals. Earlier this month, we kicked off our festival runs with our Straight8 film Love Bites premiering at the BFI Imax.

We are putting on three productions at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. However, Corpse Flower is definitely the most ambitious of the three.

Is horror-comedy harder to do than just horror?
Overall, horror is a difficult genre to create – that is why so many horror films are bad! In theatre, to create an illusion of fear is even harder. Comedy makes the play a little more self-aware and invites the viewer to engulf themselves in the Corpse Flower universe. It builds trust with the viewer. So we’d say no, a straight horror is more difficult to pull off well.

What are your favourite scary things?
Death, cavities, and the unknown. Although, the unknown is the certified hair-raiser! Nothing gets you screaming more than the fear of what you cannot see, only imagine.

Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
Fringe is a festival we always wanted to attend while we were students. Now, it feels like our first step into the theatre industry, something that can throw us into the whirlwind of the UK arts scene. That’s why we are diving wholeheartedly! That’s why we are taking three plays up that support and promote one another during the month-long festival.

How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
Very! We have mostly worked on films and have consciously worked to make Corpse Flower cinematic. This play works on the basis of wit and power struggle; it builds an expressionist universe that feels like a painting. It is very influenced by silent films from Germany and noir cinema, and we feel we carry these references across our productions.  A lot of the team from our latest project, Ash Wednesday, a folk-lore horror set in the deep Czech woods, is also a part of Corpse Flower.  

What is your favourite moment in the show?
When our lead actress gets her hand cut off!

What is a corpse flower?
A giant flower that blooms for only a day every few years, often with long stretches in between. The plant bellows a vile scent meant to attract carrion flies and bugs that think it is a festering corpse. It even warms itself to 36 degrees to further fool the insects. In our world, the flower embodies the strange parasitic world of the insects. The flower is their long-awaited messiah, their queen for whom they will gladly give their lives.

Where else can we see you?
We have a sketch show at C-Venues called Jukesox running all month. Also, prepare to see us on the big screen with an absurd short film, MEOW! It is a magical piece about a young toilet attendant looking for her lost cat, soon to start its festival run around the world. Outside of show hours, find us in gloomy places around Edinburgh seeking out the gothic strange and bitingly funny.

What’s next?
After this, we are jumping into the post-production of Ash Wednesday, a folklore horror short shot in 16mm film about a young woman who meets the Goddess of death in the deep Czech forests. 

Simpsons or Futurama?
Simpsons

Zombies or Vampires?
Vampires hands down. 

Vampires or Werewolves?
Werewolves of London.

Doctor Who or Doctor Strange?
Doctor Pepper.Truth or Beauty?
Beauty is truth.

Tickets can be bought from here and you can find out more about Threepenny Collective here.

Brendan Bradley is a multi-award winning actor and writer from over 100 television shows, movies and video games. As an early mover in storytelling technology, he founded The Innovation Lab at NYU’S Tisch School of the Arts and was a Finalist for The Producer Guild of America’s Innovation Award. We caught up with this theatrical pioneer to find out more about his show, Non-Player Character, currently showing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

STARBURST: How would you pitch Non-Player Character: A Virtual Reality Musical to Nintendo fans?
Brendan Bradley: I think Nintendo’s brand focus is community – many of their consoles are built with multiplayer in mind. It’s not just your relationship to the game, it’s about your relationship with each other while playing the game (‘Enter Player Two’). In Non-Player Character, we opted for the simpler mechanics and graphics of web-based VR to prioritise multi-user collaboration and accessibility. Every performance feels like staying up late, driving the wrong direction in Mario Cart not to ‘win’ but to play. After growing up with tethered consoles, the web invited us to gathering around others’ consoles and snarkily chat… but now the we can step inside the website and play along. Non-Player Character was designed to bring that experience on stage, with four audience members joining me in virtual reality as the ‘players’ of a fictional video game while the seated spectators watch and play along using 360 projects and a web app on their mobile devices. Out hope is to challenge the theatre and gaming’s definition of the word ‘play’.

And how would you pitch it to an elderly chess player?
I have a secret – I’m not a very good video game player. When I act in video games, like Resident Evil or Marvel’s Midnight Suns, I love to watch expert streamers play on launch day. There is incredible mastery in any genre of gaming and each player has a unique personality and player style – and that’s ultimately what makes each and every game different and exciting. Chess, especially, is about holding tension and space, reacting to what the opponent does. Half of Non-Player Character’s story is fully improvised by the audience players who guide a non-playable character with no agency of their own through the open world. Ultimately, the show is about how each audience plays it.

Why a musical?
Because there is so much audience participation and collaboration, I need a way to subtly steer the narrative as well as take back control in moments of short spectacle to deepen our understanding of the character and transition us to the next chapter. That’s a musical! The songs arise out of moments of heightened emotion to further the story, elevating us beyond a video game and into the internal thoughts of our protagonist – like I say in the opening number, “We’re singing along an un-skippable cut-scene song”.

When I first began writing the show, I wanted to onboard and off-board the audience into the world while in-character, as part of the story and performance. The first song Maurice Soque Jr and I wrote was the finale as a sung meditation to take the audience participants out of their VR headsets, out of the game, and reunite them with the seated audience in the theatre. Maurice joining me on-stage as a one man orchestra pit further elevated the experience because he is also improvising the underscoring based on the audience participation.

How much does technology enhance the show?
I prefer a different ‘e’ word. The umbrella term for this technology is ‘extended reality’, and through that lens, Non-Player Character is extending the world of the performer, the characters and the story through virtual and projected content. Virtual reality is the answer to Shakespeare’s question of what “can we contain within this wooden O” by letting the audience freely roam an unlimited landscape without leaving the theatre. Our Technical Director, Michael Morran has always wanted to bring theatrical cueing to real-time web experiences – just like how traditional stage cues can trigger the costumes, scenery, lighting and more. Allowing four audience participants to become characters invites them to co-create the story with me every night. And because any device can connect to the experience, the audience has a companion mobile phone that can spawn objects, vote on key decisions, and type messages.

What was the the most challenging thing about this show’s production?
Stable WIFI is non-negotiable. This can be a challenge when applying to festivals like Fringe, but in that challenge is opportunity. Because we couldn’t use some of the more traditional venues, we were introduced to YOTEL Edinburgh’s Imaginex 360 projection room, the only one of its kind in Scotland. I never imagined we’d be able to surround the seated audience with the virtual world without them wearing a headset – and now we can! Even more serendipitous, YOTEL took us on as artists in residence so we get to stay on-sight for the festival run! While other shows are loading in and out with a short turnaround, we get to come down the elevator and perform every night at 9PM a few blocks from The Scott Memorial and Waverly Station.

How messy does this get?
The reason there are not a lot of projects like Non-Player Character is because it’s an incredibly dangerous tightrope to walk. In the opening number, I sing “You can control the adventure” and I am completely at the mercy of what the audience participants say and do with only my songs to subtly steer the narrative and regain control. But it never goes wrong, it only goes fun. No two shows are alike as some audiences really connect to the emotional storytelling and take the journey seriously, some just want to goof off, and others accidentally break the game and we have to troubleshoot. I’ve heard this referred to as ‘responsive entertainment’ because there’s no bot or script – I am responding directly to what happens and creates enormous opportunity for humour, surprise, and empathy.

How different is this from SONA or Resident Evil: Village?
Oh! Well sleuthed! SONA is a one-woman show I directed in a spaceship that I built in my one bedroom apartment. When we took the show to Comic-Con, I wanted to put the audience in the mind of the character and since I had designed and built the physical spaceship scenery, I was able to recreate it in virtual reality. That experience actually started my virtual reality journey. And I can’t take as much credit for the incredible CAPCOM Resident Evil franchise for which I’ve done performance capture work. But when you work on an AAA video game, you see a real-time representation of your avatar on screen. Through this lens, I have always thought of virtual reality as another form of ‘puppeteering’. So I guess Non-Player Character has the homegrown hustle of SONA by creating my own art at the bleeding edge of technology by standing on the shoulders of geniuses in the professional fields of spatial computing, 3D rendering, and motion tracking.

Why is grief a theme of this show?
The show emerged from my experiments during the COVID lockdown and many of us were forced to investigate our relationship with grief, isolation and learning the rules of a new technology to connect with our community. Good storytelling asks us to examine the human condition and Non-Player Character invites us to teach a video game character how to navigate the most human experience of all – mortality. At a time when technology has made us more disconnected and threatens to inundate us with artificial simulations; we want that audience to co-create an experience of collective grief.

Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
We’ve been invited around the world to technical and academic conferences to present our virtual reality work and we always snuck in a ‘demo’ of a new song or game mechanic, slowly workshopping the show; but we’ve never had a proper sit down or premiere – and it’s time. The Edinburgh Fringe is a right of passage for live artists and offers us three weeks of nightly performances for the world’s biggest theatre lovers, programmers, and press. Six The Musical started in a ballroom, who knows if we will be so lucky, but there’s nowhere else we’d rather premiere.

Where else can we see you?
I’m extremely lucky to be a part of so many television shows, movies, and viral videos; with my latest feature films, Succubus and The Daylong Brothers, coming out this Fall; and immediately after Fringe, I’ll be headed to The Venice Film Festival to premiere another virtual reality project. I’m @brendanAbradley on all the socials if you want to follow our experience at Fringe.

Zombies or Assassin?
I’ve played both, but I’m a bit biased after directing Assassin’s Creed The Musical.

Dungeons or Dragons?
Having spent most of my career performing in basements and bars, I’ll take Dungeon.

Lawnmower Man or The Matrix?
Oh, that’s a deep cut! Did you know Brett Leonard is also a former regional Shakespeare actor? He and I have nerded out about the possibilities for VR theatre a handful of times so I’m gonna go Lawnmower Man all the way.

Kittens or Puppies?
A gentleman never tells.

Truth or Beauty?
Truth is beautiful. If I can be a bit philosophical for a moment – there is a tendency in technology circles to conflate ‘quality’ with ‘graphic fidelity’. But early research has shown that what we crave is connection and authenticity. As artificial intelligence and bot content oversaturated our world, I think we’re all going to find more beauty in the human component of raw emotion, connection and intimacy.

You can find out more about Bradley here, and you can book for his show here.

Emmy-nominated actress, Naomi Grossman is best known to STARBURST readers for her role as Pepper on American Horror Story, other works include 1BR, Replica, Pet Detectives, Table for Three, Sky Sharks, Bite Me, Painkillers, Murder RX,  and Fear, Inc. Her new,  already award-winning one-woman show shares her behind-the-scenes experiences leading up to AHS and its afterglow. We caught up with her to find out more about her new show, which is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe and can be booked here. 

STARBURST: How would you pitch the show to American Horror Story fans?
Naomi Grossman: The opportunities AHS and its fanbase provided helped shaped me into the person that wrote this show. This story wouldn’t exist without them! They made me, so I made this for them. It’s a love letter to them, really.

And how would you pitch it to a little old lady who really likes showtunes?
You mean like my mom? She loves it! It’s funny – reviewers call it ‘side-splitting’, while others, like my mom, find it heartbreaking. I like to think it’s both, which is my favourite kind of comedy. Her own personal affinity for the show aside, my mom also happens to be a character in this show – and a scene-stealer at that. But then, what do you expect from an 85-year old soft-core smut novelist?

How different is this show from previous shows?
It’s still very much my voice – the intricate wordplay and physical humour are my staples. But this is a more mature show. I’m way past coming of age, and no longer looking for love. In this show, I renounce ‘whoring out’. I finally let go of what’s no longer serving me, and move past needing relationships and jobs that require compromise! I find the more I love myself, the less nonsense I tolerate… I’m done trying to be someone I’m not. That said, I think this show depicts a real personal evolution, as well as insight into what it means to be a success – ‘overnight’, and otherwise.

Why does horror continue to be so popular?
Because it’s so prolific and relatable, sadly. We’re living in troubled times. The news has become it’s own, never-ending season of American… correction: Global Horror Story.

What was the the most challenging thing about this show’s production?
You know what they say, “mo’ money, mo’ problems”. My last two shows were just me, made with my meagre, Spanish teacher-budget at the time. This has more resources, and therefore, more folks to answer to. Which is not a bad thing – my collaborators (co-producers Kate Atkinson and Sarah Anthony, and director Richard Israel) make it so much better. Takes a village to pull off a one-woman show!

What’s the most unexpected thing that’s happened to you at a show so far?
Maybe my mom stealing it? At one point in the show, I ask the audience to read some especially lascivious sections of her book. Having her there, in the audience, was too great a temptation – I couldn’t not have her read! But she surpassed all expectations. Like an improv master, she yes-anded her own jokes! Now that act was hard to follow.

How American is your show? Does AWS have an international appeal?
I mean, I’m American. I’m a whore. It’s my story. Hence, American Whore Story. But no, neither whores nor horrors are specific to America, unfortunately. Y’all have the same awful news cycle. The same way American Horror Story is beloved everywhere, I have similar hopes and faith for American Whore Story.

What’s your favourite scary story?
Gosh, my fave horror films, in no particular order, are: Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Carrie, Midsommar, Let the Right One In, El Orfanato, Vertigo, The Bad Seed, The Unknown, Freaks, The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, Requiem for a Dream, and Get Out. I tend to like foreign, art-house, and classics.

Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
One of my all-time career highlights was bringing my last show to Edinburgh. Sure, being Emmy-nominated, kissed by Lady Gaga, named #1 on IMDb were great! But climbing uphill both ways in the constant drizzle with a duffle full of dildos to pour my heart out on stage every night in August? Now that’ll separate the baddies from the basic bishes. I wept when the festival ended. I felt validated in a way I hadn’t yet in my career… I realised there, on stage was where I needed to be, and felt the most alive. Besides, I’m excited to see how the show translates to the international stage, and the overall experience prepares it for its next steps.

Where else can we see you?
Other than every night in August at the Gilded Ballon, at @naomiwgrossman on IG/FB/X and @naomigrossman on Youtube/Tiktok! Reruns of AHS? Cameos in other films I’ve done? Soon I’ll be able to talk about my other upcoming projects, but for now, the good stuff’s under wraps.

Ghosts or Ghouls?
Ghosts, no question. Actually, AWS is a ghost story! Starring Peter Lawford, the friendly ghost, who lived in my condo before he bled out on my kitchen floor! True story!

Scooby Doo or Sam and Dean from Supernatural?
I grew up in a house that pooh-poohed pop culture, so I honestly can’t say either way. I’m not into cartoons, nor sci-fi. (Although, if they cast me…) 😉

Monsters or Mazes?
Hmmm, characters vs situations, basically. Characters, obviously.

Godzilla or Cthulhu?
Pass? Eeeck, I’m outing myself as a horror-imposter! What can I say? I fell into a horror hole, and the rest is history. I love horror, because it loves me. I’m not gonna bite the hand that feeds me! Just saying, it didn’t start out that way.
Truth or Beauty?
Truth, always. My mantra is “to thine own self be true.” Besides, having played the ugliest person on TV, I feel at authority to say that beauty’s overrated. It’s on the inside, anyway.

You can book for American Whore Story at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe here, and find out more about Naomi here. 

Lewis Hetherington is a playwright and performance maker. Their work is rooted in collaboration and storytelling. Lewis is a member of Pepperdine Scotland, a critically acclaimed theatre group. No One Is Coming To Save Us is their latest project. We caught up with Lewis to find out more.

STARBURST: How would you pitch No One Is Coming To Save Us to a fan of the TV show Love Island?

Lewis Hetherington: This is a show about a group of young people trying to make their way in today’s world, which so often seems full of overwhelming challenges. The story begins when they get caught in a wildfire and we see how that shapes the rest of their lives. The characters in the show are funny, flawed, frightened, full of passion, and determined to find peace however they can.

And how would you pitch it to someone who’s very keen on recycling?

If we are going to tackle the climate crisis, we need to radically reinvent the way we live. I don’t believe that that means we have to sacrifice and live smaller or thinner lives. I think that we can find new ways of being where we’re more in harmony with the natural world and each other and actually find more nourishing and beautiful ways to live. This show is about a group of young people who are forced to face the horrors of the climate crisis when they are trapped in a wildfire but shows us ways to face the future with hope and heart.

It begins at a party. Where did the idea for this come from?

The very origin of the idea was just my admiration for young people standing up to make change and to fight for a better future. And I suppose what I wanted to do was find the really human stories within that. Being young is hard enough when you’re trying to work out who you fancy, and who your mates are and what you’re going to do with your life, I wanted to create something that wove all of that into the lives of young people who are also trying to build a new world.

Can stories about the end of the world save the world?

I think stories can be a way of facing the complexity, pain, and wonder of the world we live in. Stories absolutely have the power to make us understand the world and ourselves more deeply. They have the power to bear witness to injustice, cruelty and violence.

How different is this show from the initial idea behind it?

Good question! In some ways, it’s changed a lot. In the first draft, there was no fire; it was set further into the future, and the characters were much more loosely connected, and it involved some of them travelling across America. There were also some scenes on Pluto. But in another way I think that that change is part of the process, these things grow organically; in the same way that an acorn doesn’t look like an oak tree, you plant the seed and then it will grow.

How hard was it to get a show like this on at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

I was very lucky that Pepperdine Scotland was extremely supportive of me as a writer to follow my interests, and also specifically this area of exploration into the environment and our relationship with it.

Why the Edinburgh Fringe?

Where to start!? It’s the most extraordinary place to share ideas to share work with those who might never get to see it. There’s an incredible concentration of people who are up for having experiences, who are open to new types of work, and up for thinking about the big questions about what it means to be human.

What’s your favourite spooky thing?

The Moon.

What’s next?

I’ve written an extremely bonkers and fun version of Rumplestiltskin for Platform Theatre which will be on at Christmas this year. It’s about the lengths we’ll go to get what we want, and what we may  sacrifice along the way… with lots of songs and jokes. I love getting to make something that is joyful and for people of all ages.

What is your favourite moment from the show?

I don’t know! It keeps changing! There’s a bit with toads that I love. And a mention of Total Eclipse of the Heart, which I really enjoy.

NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE US runs from July 31st to August 13th at the Edinburgh Fringe. You can book here. 

Lewis Dunn is an award-dodging improviser and stand-up comedian, known also for his character Stanley Brooks, an inspirational speaker with a passion for making you rich (by yelling at you to be better). He’s also part of the Any Suggestions Improv troupe, who’s latest show,  Suggestions Of The Unexpected is coming to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August. We caught up with him to find out more.

STARBURST: What is Suggestions of the Unexpected? How would you pitch it to a passing paranormal investigator looking for clues?
Lewis Dunn: Suggestions of the Unexpected is an improvised horror anthology with a dark comic twist. Each show is hosted by a different promise keeper, an unusual character who talks to their audience about their fears and desires before then conjuring up a tale based on those suggestions.  

And how would you pitch it to an elderly relative?
It’s like The Twilight Zone but with more jokes. 

How different is Suggestions of the Unexpected from your other show, Any Suggestions Doctor?
It’s both totally at the other end of the spectrum and weirdly familiar, like a cousin who you wouldn’t think you were related to until you got to know them better. In some ways, it makes sense – both are sci-fi, and both have horror themes, but with SOTU – the official acronym – we are able to take some of the darker ideas we’ve stumbled across doing a Doctor Who show and fully embrace them. We don’t need to find the happy ending or save the day with SOTU; there can be no heroes or horrible endings. We can also rely on having a much more adult audience, which means we can trust them to look around the edges of what we’re doing and take on darker implications. 

Isn’t Tales of the Unexpected a bit of a dated cultural reference? Why that particular show/book?
So, it sort of is, but actually, we didn’t pick the title because of that reference; we picked it because we have our own ‘brand’, Suggestions, and we wanted to bring up a title that remained ambiguous enough that we weren’t hemmed into a concept. Right now, this show can morph and change and become new things as we perform it, if we called it ‘The Creepy Old Shop of Suggestions’ then it always must be set in a shop, and suddenly, a heap of implications pile on top of it. The benefit to having a vague title – which by the way, all these anthologies do; The Twilight Zone and Inside No 9 are equally empty monickers – means that literally every show can be completely different, which is perfect for improv. 

What’s the most awkward thing about improv?
Starting. Or more accurately, getting a room full of people to trust you and enjoy it. It’s a bit like whenever you watch a play, and for the first five minutes, you go, “Oh god, everyone is acting. This is horrible”, and then after 15 mins, you are fully immersed and onboard. The same is true for improv, but you also have to keep reminding everyone this is genuinely being made up on the spot, which makes getting their trust even more important. Thankfully, with this show, we’re taking a new approach and ditching the ‘can I get a big cheer for creeping dread!’ approach to hosting. 

What’s the most unexpected thing that’s happened to you at a show so far?
One year, we’re in a venue that means we need to use radio mics, as the room is just a bit too big, and we’re performing over live music, so we need that extra boost. Unfortunately, the venue is full of other shows also using radio mics, and there’s some conflict over getting the right frequencies. Anyway, we’re in the middle of an Any Suggestions, Doctor: The Improvised Doctor Who Parody show, getting the Doctor and the companion to agree on where to go, when clear as a bell, through our speakers, in an American voice not too far off that of Gilbert Gottfreid comes the word “Clitoris”. Now, I’m not a prude, and technically that word is not a swear word – I’m not even sure if it’s on the Ofcom list of words you can’t say without some censorship – but in a room full of families, it does rather change the atmosphere. Fortunately, Harry Whittaker, on stage as the companion for this show, has the wisdom to declare, “Oh no Doctor, it looks like there’s interference with the time vortex, and some words are coming through THAT REALLY SHOULDN’T. Let’s all adjust our headsets and TURN THEM OFF FOR THE REST OF THE ADVENTURE.” So we all did and just projected that day. 

Should we bring back Whose Line Is It Anyway? with a UK cast on UK screens?
No. Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a brilliant show that started over 20 years ago, and while it’s definitely got a very beloved place in my heart and I imagine the heart of every improv performer, as a genre, the scene has distinctly expanded from just short-form games. You take a look at massive hits at the fringe like Austentatious and Showstopper, to across the pond with shows like Make Some Noise and Middlemarch and Schwartz, and it’s clear that improv can be a far bigger genre than the perception that exists with Whose Line Is It Anyway? I do sometimes worry that the cultural footprint of that show has created a bit of a monolith in people’s minds as to what improv is. Really, we need a new show to come in and totally disrupt the public perception.  

Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
You get to do the show for a month 

What’s your favourite spooky thing?
Look, this will sound like I’m trying to stay ‘on brand’ but honestly, The Twilight Zone. I love how it’s both one of the scariest shows I’ve ever seen – It’s A Good Life genuinely upsets me – but also one of the most heartbreaking – Dust will tear your heart out – to one of the funniest – A Penny for your Thoughts is a great farce. It also works brilliantly because of that tension that you’re never 100% sure what you’re getting, and the writing team knew how to make stories satisfying rather than just nasty or surprising. I also really like Hex at Alton Towers.

What suggestion do you expect to get too many times this fringe?
Well normally I’d jump on a trend and say ‘AI’ or ‘Joe Biden’, but because we’re going in at this strange angle, it’s more likely we’ll get “I’m scared of dying” or “I wish I was rich”. We have to be careful with that, because much as we will take on these topics it’s a bit much to accuse an audience’s darkest fears as trite. 

Where else can we see you?
Oh, you know, around. We do regional shows here and there, if you follow us @asimprov on all the social media sites, we’ll keep you updated, or go to our website anysuggestionsimprov.co.uk  

Ghosts or Ghouls?
Depends; are you scared of the past, or of monstrous death? That’s the key difference. 

Scooby Doo or Sam and Dean from Supernatural?
Scooby Doo, great at sandwiches. 

Columbo or Fox Mulder?
Well I was going to pick Fox Mulder, but then I realised that my wife you see, she loves Columbo, huge fan.  

Godzilla or Cthulhu?
Godzilla. I also hate moths. 

Luck or Destiny?
Luck. Destiny is a shackle, luck gives us hope. 

You can book tickets for the show here, and find out about future tours here .