The Edinburgh Fringe is almost upon us and to get prepared for another Scottish summer Read About Stuff is running a ‘Five From The Fringe’ interview series, where creative teams answer five questions about their upcoming Festival shows.
In this interview, I chat to Mark Daniels about their new show A Man Proposes to a Balloon or Possibly Something Worse.
Can you tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect?
The show’s all about Mikey. He’s a gay guy who’s decided to propose to his partner, and decided to practise his proposal speech by drawing a face on a balloon and talking to it. He comes to the same park bench every day with new attempts and things get pretty weird pretty quickly. We learn about how Mikey is lonely living in a big city and how he feels about love, life, the world around him, and his identity – he’s a lost queer man who finds he can open up more about his flaws and insecurities with an inanimate object. We also learn that he’s not the most reliable narrator and the identity he’s projecting isn’t completely true. There’s a much darker reason that he’s chosen this bench specifically. It all sounds a bit heavy, but it’s a comedy, I promise! It’s whacky, quirky, full of heart, and really, really funny.
What drew you to this specific story, and why does it belong at the Edinburgh Fringe?
Well, to give some of the game away, the balloon talks back – what is Edinburgh Fringe if not the place for a show about a man who forms a relationship with a talking balloon, eh? And well, although Mikey is definitely NOT me (I’ve never made a balloon friend), apart from that bit, Mikey basically is me. It’s me looking at myself and thinking… you were that little queer kid at school who got bullied, found that the best defence was to be the funny one and then just took that identity with you through to adulthood, but… why? Is that all you are? Are you playing ‘the gay guy’ role rather than being you? And what else could you be? Yeah, OK, it’s a little existential. But in a fun, talking-balloon, obsessed-with-brunch, got-a-witty-clapback-for-every-occasion sort of way. And it has quite a lot of twists and turns that hopefully will be thought-provoking for audiences in how they make decisions in their lives in today’s complicated world.
What has been the biggest challenge in bringing this production to life?
Casting the actor was really hard. We’re so happy to have found Eoin, who has such a lot of heart in his performance. Even when he’s saying some really quite horrible things (Mikey’s no saint), you just can’t help but still like him – that’s a really tough ask! And he’s just hilarious from start to finish. It’s been amazing to work with him.
How does the design of your show (set, sound, or lighting) impact the presentation of your story?
Need I say… talking balloon? It’s quite amazing how much unpredictability a helium balloon brings. It kind of moves of its own accord which makes the show feel really alive and different every time we run it. Audiences so far seem to be loving it, but it’s really amazing how much the balloon draws the attention and can make different bits of the story have a different tone depending on which way it’s facing or moving at the time. It really is different every performance and makes it feel really electric, so it’s having a huge impact. It’s not just a prop, it’s a main character!
If you could sum up the show in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?
Weird, wonderful and an absolutely unforgettable Ed Fringe experience.
A Man Proposes to a Balloon or Possibly Something Worse runs at Blether at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) from August 15th – 31th. Tickets can be purchased here: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:6723/
