Words By Susan Ford
After a short one year break, Hennessy and Friends are back for this year’s Fringe, and we’re delighted! Taking a gamble on a free show has never been easier – go and see Hennessy and Friends and you won’t be disappointed. I caught up with Miranda, Dave and Steve to discuss this year’s Festival.
Hello Hennessy & Friends, how are you?
Dave: Very well thanks apart from the slow release panic attack I’m currently having in the lead up to Edinburgh.
Miranda: Man up Dave! We’re fine thank you – how are you?
Can you please introduce yourselves to our readers?
Dave: We are Miranda Hennessy, David Seymour and Steven Shapland: and together we are Hennessy & Friends- A 3 piece sketch group who do sketches and that.
Can you tell me a bit more about your act?
Dave: We peddle our delightfully screwy, slightly macabre brand of sketch nonsense on stage for you to watch with your eyes.
Are you excited about this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
Dave: Very excited, It’s getting very close now… I can smell it and it’s all a bit damp.
Miranda: I think it’s going to be a good one! Hopefully this second time round we’ll be able to relax a bit more and enjoy it!
Without giving too much away, what is your show about?
Dave: The usual sketch bullshit… set to a backdrop of our continuing in-fighting, petty squabbles and Steve’s untimely death.
Steve: What?
Miranda: Oh you gave the ending away, not even Steve knew that. I’m not sure I’d refer to our carefully crafted show as ‘sketch bullshit’… It’s definitely not about Fleetwood Mac though. Nor is it a reproduction in whole or part of any songs or recordings by said band or any of its members past or present.
Steve: What’s that about my death?
You took a break from the Fringe last year, what made you decide to come back?
Steve: They made me
Miranda: We took a break for a few reasons – we all had other individual things going on. Plus, Steve had a baby so he was pretty tied up doing that. Dave and I got a dog … We weren’t going to come this year either but we missed it and had lots of new ideas that we wanted to try out so we decided at the last minute to go. And have only regretted it a few times since.
What are the best things about the Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
Dave: It’s a whirlwind of a month driven by laughs, alcohol and fast food, that’s the other reason we’re back.
Miranda: Performing every day, seeing lots of other shows and hanging out with your mates. It’s a bit like Uni…
Steve: Getting to spend a whole month with my two only friends, cook for them, clean for them, all the good stuff.
Have you been doing many previews for the Festival, and how have they been going?
Dave: We’ve been doing a few, We’re wary of doing too many, but I think they’ve been going ok… We’ve still got quite a bit of new stuff to put in, we’ve got two left…
Miranda: NOT ENOUGH! ARGH!
Steve: Yeah, we did one where we spilt blood and doughnuts everywhere and got told off by the management.
Other than previews, how do you prepare for a month in Edinburgh at the Festival?
Dave: I’m trying to lose a bit of weight before I go, so I don’t come back dangerously overweight, just enough for people to notice and comment on it behind my back.
Miranda: I’m going to try and not drink for a week beforehand.
Steve: Start adjusting my body clock to ‘Night Mode’ and practice living on no money…
What other shows do you recommend during the Fringe?
Dave: Definitely looking forward to seeing Clever Peter, David Elms’ show is looking great… and Adam Riches’ new show has got to be a must see, we gigged with him recently and some of the new material was utterly brilliant! Loads of others too, just can’t think of them off the top of my head.
Miranda: Definitely Clever Peter and Adam Riches.
Steve: The Steve and Dave show, but don’t tell Miranda…
Miranda: I’m right here.
Dave: Idiot.
Catch Hennessy & Friends show ‘Murmurs‘ at Venue 32 on the Cowgate at 7.30pm.
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