EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - Kieran Hodgson

BWW speaks to Kieran Hodgson ahead of his 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show Maestro.

What can you tell us about Maestro?

Lots! Maestro is a character comedy show with a little story to hold it all together. In the story I'm trying to write a symphony, fall in love, and live up to the example of neurotic Austrian composer Gustav Mahler. In the character comedy I'm trying to put in lots of silly voices and impressions to help you forget how sincere the story bits are. There's a violin, too, and I'll be offering a bit of singing until my voice starts to fall apart towards the end of the run. All this, and it's free!

What was the inspiration for the show?

A few years ago I hit upon the idea of writing shows about my hobbies and so this is the third iteration of that, taking you, the viewer, into the world of classical music, whether you like it or not. After a show about the nicely unfunny subject of cycling, I relished the challenge of making something that anyone could watch and enjoy out of what might seem a very elitist topic . Also, I'm a massive elitist and craved validation for my life-long snobbery.

What have you been up to since your last performance at the Fringe?

I trotted my old show around the country for a bit, became an uncle, spent New Year in Alnwick, which was really charming (great pubs called the Fleece and the Tanners Arms, though the weather wasn't all that great except for the day we did a walk to Dunstanburgh Castle and had lunch at another great pub, actually, the Ship at Low Newton-by-the-Sea, and the Castle was shut because it was the off-season, and also I found that Barter Books, though very impressive in terms of size and having a miniature railway and coal fires, was actually a bit intimidating when it came to the choice of what book to buy so in the end I didn't buy anything at, which I felt bad about, and also the bus services in Northumberland are really excellent even though it's such a sparsely-populated area, and Warkworth is just charming.) and appeared in Ben Elton's new sitcom. I need to work harder at staying focused on my career.

Your show Lance was a sell-out at the 2015 festival- are you feeling any pressure?

Press answer: No, of course not. Last year was very special, and I got very lucky that people seemed to like Lance as much as they did, but every year in Edinburgh is a fresh new challenge. I'm just thrilled to be up here with a fun new show, which I know I'm going to enjoy doing!

Answer in my head: Oh it's all going to go wrong, why isn't it last year again, I'm frightened, I'm frightened, I'm frightened...etc.

Who would you recommend comes to see Maestro?

Anyone who fancies an in-depth chat with me afterwards about the relative merits of pubs in the Alnwick area, plus anyone who fancies something silly and heartfelt. I've managed to get rid of all f-words this year, and I do quite like having a show that as many people as possible can come and enjoy, unless you're under-18 in which case I'm afraid the venue really can't let you in due to the licensing.

Timings and ticket information for Kieran Hodgson: Maestro are available on the edfringe website.

To post a comment, you must register and login.