Fools Talk Theatre bring their show Against The Clock to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
“Witness the short falls and failures of the monochrome comedians and escape to the Hollywood world of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and The Man on the Clock – Harold Lloyd. With a pair of glasses and a smile this is the story of the original underdog.”
No booking required – just turn up!
Where: Canons Gait
When: 3-13 Aug
Details: https://freefringe.org.uk/shows/against-the-clock/
Tommy Murray and Hayley Everitt, the “clowning couple”, tell us more!
What are you looking forward to the most at Fringe?
Hayley: We are really looking forward to performing as part of PBH’s Free Fringe and it’s the first time we have taken up a show ourselves!
Tommy: We have performed in shows together before at the Fringe but this time round it is something we have produced I have written and we’ve devised together so we can’t wait to share it with an audience!
Tell me About Against The Clock. It celebrates the silent screen comedians we still love – what gave you the idea for the show?
Tommy: I have always been a big fan of Charlie Chaplin and my grandad loved Laurel and Hardy but it was my dad who introduced me to Harold Lloyd and I have truly entered a silent movie research wormhole.
Hayley: In the development of the show we have explored the themes of failure, imperfections and the idea of the underdog to create a personal story about us as well as autobiographical storyline about the silent movie days of the 1920s.
When I was a child, we all watch Harold Lloyd films on TV: ‘a pair of glasses and a smile’. Why do you think this type of comedy endures?
Tommy: There is a universality to the comedy and humour of these films 100 years old and continue to find a new audience young and old all the time.
Hayley: There is also something beautifully relatable in seeing these characters getting knocked over by life and then picking themselves back up again – this was also paralleled in Lloyd’s own life.
You’re involved in the Free Fringe this year. What’s your venue like and are you looking forward to other shows?
Tommy: We are performing at The Strathmore Bar in Leith a really lovely part of town still close enough to the hustle and bustle of it all but also a little bit out of way which means although there won’t be as much footfall as a venue just off the Royal Mile we hope people feel like it’s a story worth making the trip for, a silent movie treat for all.
Hayley: We are looking forward to SO many other shows the list goes on and on, looking forward to seeing a few famous faces as well as taking a chance on something new and different as we hope audience will do for us.
What’s next after this show?
Tommy: We are very excited that the show will be performed at The Cinema Museum in London on the 20th September (the former workhouse of Charlie Chaplin!) as part of the Lambeth Fringe.
Hayley: We are keen to perform this show at festivals that celebrate cinema, and set up a small tour to old music halls and cinemas suitable for theatre.
Tommy: We also have a few other shows in the works, a family clown walk about that has already appeared at a carnival this summer and also couple of solo shows, old and new.
Hayley: You can keep up to date on our website and social media.
Really enjoyed the show. It is obvious that Tommy and Hayley not only love Harold Lloyd but all of the old, silent and talkie, black and white film stars. This is a show full of fast-paced, frenetic action told with humour, pathos and genuine love. Well worth going to see!