American dark comedy performer Steven Phillips-Horst brings his new solo show The Last Mad Man to the Edinburgh Fringe this year.
“The water wars have bled our cities dry. Ecological catastrophe has ripped society’s flesh clean to the bone. And there is little left of Western Civilization but a rancid husk. From the ashes, one man rises, in search of purpose – an advertising copywriter. And he’s got no one left to pitch but himself. Now to save his own sanity, he’ll have to rebrand the apocalypse. But the end of the world is a tough sell.”
Where: Downstairs at Assembly Roxy
When: 5-30 Aug (not 17 or 24)
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-last-mad-man
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about and where did the idea come from?
The Last Mad Man poses the question – what if the last man on earth were an advertising copywriter? It imagines a post-apocalyptic world where the only remnants of polite society are the subscriptions we forgot to cancel. At the center of all this misery is a man who decides to use his skills to do the one thing he knows how: rebrand the apocalypse.
The Last Mad Man is inspired by two things: 1) my many years working in the branding industry. I’ve done copywriting for everything from Hyatt hotels to an Israeli tupperware startup to a Miami-based hand sanitizer, and frankly, I’ve always enjoyed it. and 2) the coming ecological collapse. Call me a narcissist but I felt there was a connection between the advertising world and climate change and this show is my way of processing that.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
It’s a satirical play about consumerism, identity and the end of the world. Think Beckett meets 30 Rock. It’s also gay.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? And do you have any moments you particularly remember?
My favorite moment last year was when there was only two people in the audience, and one of them fell asleep almost immediately.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?
Getting attention.
What’s next for the show?
Memorizing my lines.