Created and performed by American artists Kayla Eisenberg and Marguerite Stern, character comedy The Sound Within is coming to Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
“World-renowned vocal coaches, voice practitioners, and “gurus of the throat”, Carol Eisenberg and Julie Stern host The Sound Within – an undeniably live musical journey that celebrates the miracle of the organic voice (and demystifies non-truths about the status quo in the entertainment industry). Eisenberg and Stern have launched the careers of countless musical artists – including Savvy&Jacqui, The Almond Brothers and The Plain White Jeans – whom they invite on stage to perform chart-topping hits in this two-person musical character comedy.”.
Where: Theatre 1 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall
When: 17-29 Aug (not Sundays)
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-sound-within-with-eisenberg-and-stern
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about and where did the idea come from?
A sharp satirization of TED-talk pretension that pokes fun at the artist’s plight to establish her voice in the world, The Sound Within with Eisenberg & Stern is a two-person, absurdist musical character comedy built on community, creativity, and seriously memorable tunes. We play two globally recognized vocal coaches giving a masterclass, during which we invite an array of famous vocal clients (who we also play), to perform original “hit” songs in varying styles (pop punk, dad rock, etc.).
When we’re not finding our ‘sound within’ as our characters, we create work as “serious artists” – Marguerite is a singer-songwriter and actor, Kayla is a playwright and actor. So, we understand all too well the desire to “perfect your craft” and “succeed in the industry”. Because of this, we have a real empathy and love for our characters and their journeys, which ideally comes through in our performances just as strongly as our lampooning of the archetypes we embody.
We wanted to make something that feels funny, musical, and a little bit ridiculous, but still has a real heart to it. We hope people leave with the sense that the answer to finding your ‘sound within’ isn’t necessarily more vocal warm-ups or trying harder on your own, but working together, listening to one another, and not taking it all so seriously.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
World renowned vocal coaches, voice practitioners, and ‘Gurus of the Throat’, Carol Eisenberg and Julie Stern host The Sound Within, an undeniably live musical journey that celebrates the miracle of the organic voice (and demystifies non-truths about the status quo in the entertainment industry). Carol and Julie have helped launch the careers of countless musical artists, whom they invite on stage to perform original songs in this two-person musical character comedy.
Real-life playwright/actor/comedian Kayla Eisenberg and singer/songwriter/actor Marguerite Stern’s unique style of character-driven musical comedy blends heartfelt songwriting with absurdity in this Christopher Guest-meets-SNL “masterclass” that is both fueled by the broad silliness of sketch comedy and grounded in the biting satirization of the human ego.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? Do you have any particularly memorable moments? What are you most looking forward to in Edinburgh?
The Sound Within marks our Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut! We have had incredible experiences developing and performing this show throughout NYC – building and bringing audiences together and hearing them sing our songs and quote our jokes long after the performance is over – and we are so excited to bring Carol and Julie overseas to soak in all of the art, history, and landscape, connect with fellow theater lovers, and lead festival-goers in some kooky (yet effective!) vocal exercises.
What’s next for the show?
After the Fringe, we plan on bringing this show back to the States for a more extended run. As for Eisenberg & Stern as a comedy duo, the future is boundless. More to come!