Pippa Evans new comedy show ‘Joy Provision!” will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Cabaret Bar for the month of August so we caught up with her to find out what we can expect from this year's offering.
Pippa Evans
Please tell us about your brand of comedy.
Imagine Sandi Toksvig crossed with Brian Conley and you get a pretty good idea. I am heavily influenced by Music Hall, Radio 4 and Ru Paul - let the games begin!
What can audiences expect from your new show?
They can expect a whirlwind of song, stand-up and sketch as I lead them through an hour of life’s biggest and smallest questions:
Can we truly ever be happy?
What is happening to the world right now?
If I have a doughnut for breakfast, am I a bad person?
Which comedians have been your biggest influence since you decided this was your path?
Josie Lawrence of Whose Line is it Anyway was a huge influence on me - and I am now lucky enough to work with her on a regular basis, improvising with the Glenda J Collective and the Comedy Store Players. I also love a bit of Al Murray, Victoria Wood and Bette Midler.
What random things make you laugh in everyday life?
I LOVE overhearing conversations on buses or in Greggs. With the mobile phone, you can catch snippets of the most incredible conversations, or the most mundane once. One time I overheard a woman getting irate in the aisle of a library in York over the fact her husband couldn’t figure out how to bake a potato.
Please tell us about your best and worst moment on stage so far.
My best moment on stage had to be Live at the London Palladium this year. It was such a buzz to perform to that massive crowd and to be on stage with the three Bs - Bananrama, Barry Manilow and Bradley Walsh.
My worst moment? It was very early on - doing a gig where I was told I was doing 20 minutes and they were expecting 45. When you first start doing 20 minute sets, you generally only have 10 minutes, so 45 minutes is a massive stretch. Tumbleweed doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Do you still get nervous when you do a gig?
Yes! Because I want it to be good, rather than cos I’m scared. I worry if I am not nervous. And then I get nervous that I am not nervous. So I get nervous, one way or the other.
Why is Edinburgh Fringe Festival such a great platform for comedians?
Because on a basic level, it is such great practise to do an hour every day for a month.
You can only get better!
On a another level (freak me), what a great place to be discovered (or not), to find your audience (or not), and to eat deep fried food (not optional), knowing that you’ll walk it off getting to your venue every day.
Who are you looking forward to seeing at the Fringe?
I love to not plan what I am going to see and find random stuff that I’ve never heard of. For me that is the joy of the fringe - the undiscovered, the unknown and the wild cards. Top tip: Summer Hall. Always full of fascinating shows.
What is your advice to aspiring comedians?
You’ve got ages. Just keep going!
What is the oddest heckle you've ever received?
I think you’re beautiful.
What is next for you?
More writing, more Radio 4 and touring with Showstopper! The improvised musical. Watch out world, here I come.
Pippa Evans new comedy show ‘Joy Provision!” will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Cabaret Bar for the month of August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
Tagged in Edinburgh Festival Fringe