Scottish writer/performers Dylan Kaeuper and Will Grice, aka Dylan and Will Theatre, have a new show at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. The Joker and The Thief is their second Fringe show as collaborators.
Dylan was “rushing round the city trying to source an important prop” when I caught up with the duo, but here are Will’s answers to my questions about the show and the Fringe as a whole.
“Five years after splitting, former comedy duo Sid and Larry reunite at the 1980 Edinburgh Fringe. One’s a star, the other’s failing. Before Larry takes the stage, old truths threaten to steal the spotlight…”
Where: Studio at theSpaceTriplex / Upper Theatre at theSpace @ Niddry St
When: 7-29 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-joker-and-the-thief
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about, and where did the idea come from?
The show is set at the 1980 Edinburgh Fringe, and it is about two comedians who used to be a comedy duo together, but they split up, and they haven’t seen each other for five years. They cross paths again at the 1980 Edinburgh Fringe, where they’re both performing, and one of them is an international success, and one of them is failing quite badly. It’s really a story about friendship.
The idea and the setting came about because the 1980 Edinburgh Fringe was really the first time that stand-up comedy came to the Fringe, which is just kind of crazy to think about now that the Fringe itself is completely dominated by stand-up comics. At that time it was really just theatre sketch groups, and the Fringe was not the behemoth of a festival that it is now.
In a lot of our work we’re drawn to stories about friendship and dreams and coming of age. Our last show was about two boys growing up wanting to become cowboys, so they’re kind of following a dream, and this is almost the other end of a dream. It’s two friends who had a dream that was in their grasp, and it kind of fell through, and now on the other end of it, where one of them has made it, and the other one is failing, but really, as you’ll see in the show, both men want what the other has.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
It’s funny, it’s pretty chaotic, and it is really quite a heartfelt story about friendship. Hopefully.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe, and do you have any moments you particularly remember?
We love The Fringe. It was our first time last year. Dylan and I took our first show, Cody and Beau, a Wild West story, and it was pretty daunting. We’d never done it before, just the two of us doing it on our own. We really didn’t know what to expect, and I think it was quite a mountain to climb, which we hadn’t anticipated. But it was probably the greatest experience of my life. The whole festival was just immense. We met so many incredible, incredible people who we’ve really kept in contact all the way up to this year’s Fringe and have helped us so much. It was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.
Really, I think the ups and downs just made it all that more sweet. There were some nights which really were tough to get through, and there were some nights which just flew. The show did really well, way better than we thought it was going to do, and we got some really good reception. It’s great to meet so many other people who are so passionate about what we love doing. It’s inspiring and something I can’t wait to be around this year.
In terms of moments that really stick with me, there are a few shows where you meet people who are genuinely trying to get you into their show. They’re pulling you in, and you can tell they’re so passionate about what they’re about to put on.
You end up in a tiny room or the corner of a pub, and then you see the show, and it’s just amazing.
Those are the really sweet moments of the Fringe, where you’re surprised by these small, spontaneous decisions to see a show, and they end up being unforgettable. I think that’s the beauty of it.
What are you looking forward to most in Edinburgh?
I guess it’s that. I mean, we’re really looking forward to performing again. That one hour you get to perform every day is honestly the best hour of my day because it’s what we love to do. That’s why we do it.
But it’s also about meeting new people, seeing new shows, and having new audiences come to our show and seeing how they respond. Right now it really feels like the calm before the storm. We’re actually in Edinburgh at the moment, and all the posters are going up now. Everything’s starting to take shape, and you can really feel the buzz beginning.
What’s next for the show?
Honestly, we don’t really know.
We’d love to take it elsewhere. Last year, we managed to bring Cody and Beau, our previous show, down to London, which was really special and an incredible experience for us. So if any opportunities like that come up, we’ll definitely grab them. We’d also love to play some smaller international festivals. I’ve heard great things about Prague Fringe, so we’ve definitely got our eye on that.
We’re dreaming big, really. But right now, all eyes are on this month. We’ve never done a run this long before—we’re performing for the entire festival, which is exciting but also a little daunting. We’re really looking forward to it.
We’ve also got a new cast member this year. Last year it was just the two of us, but this time we’ve brought in a good friend of ours, Rufus, who plays the manager of one of the two friends. As one friend becomes more successful, his manager ends up becoming a bit of an obstacle in the story—but you’ll have to come and see the show to find out what happens.