EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - James Wilson-Taylor

BWW speaks to James Wilson-Taylor about his 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show GINGER IS THE NEW BLACK.

Tell us about Ginger Is The New Black.

I'm basically trying to rebrand gingers for 2016. Why do we get such a bad reputation? And where do all those weird stereotypes come from? Plus I'm going to try and make Ron Weasley a sex symbol and Ed SHeeran less boring - no easy feat.

What inspired the show?

My last couple of shows have been about specific characters - musical comedy shows about Batman and Doctor Who. So I wanted to do something with a wider range that would still let me include songs and pop culture stuff. Plus it's always good to write about what you know, and I've been ginger for 27 years at this point.

Who are your current ginger role models?

Prince Harry is the obvious choice. He's basically a real-life version of Simba from The Lion King - just can't wait to be king, never got to know his real father (the ginger one). And I really do love Ron Weasley too - JK Rowling signed my book as a kid "To James who could be a Weasley". Still didn't cast me in the film though...

What advice would you give to someone who is making their festival debut?

It's a cliché, but the festival is a marathon not a sprint. It's really easy to burn out in the first week if you're not careful, so you've got to build up stamina. Writing and performing wise, don't be afraid to mix things up a bit over time. Edinburgh audiences are unlike any other, so no amount of previews fully prepares you for them, and sometimes you find that changes work better. Other than that just have fun - it's the biggest arts festival in the world, so milk it for all its worth. See as much as possible and explore the city (there's a 5am pub license in August, there's no excuse to stay home).

I am, disappointingly, not a ginger. Can I still come and see this show?

Of course. My last show was about Batman and I made sure it was still funny even if you knew nothing about superheroes. Same applies here although, if you are ginger, you'll learn some pretty weird stuff about our ancestors! Here's one for free - apparently we are secret vampires. True story.

Timings and ticket information for Ginger Is The New black are available on the edfringe website.

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