John Tothill to Present THANK GOD THIS LASTS FOREVER at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival

John Tothill deliberately contracted malaria in a clinical trial, to fund his 2023 Edinburgh debut. He almost died, and the show still ended up in the red. This is just one of a series of bizarre and biblical-style plagues which have been visited upon John in the last 12 months. He's here to tell you about becoming a magnet for chaos - and can't promise he won't get distracted.

2024 Chortle Best Newcomer nominee John presents 'Thank God This Lasts Forever' and delves into the multiple catastrophic situations that befell John in the year since his 2023 debut. That show, 'The Last Living Libertine' was one of the best-reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, and he's ready to dive back in.

An endemic mouse infestation, a nightmarish encounter with the Devil; these are just some of the many scourges he's experienced, all delivered in a series of wildly true anecdotes with a frenetic storytelling style that recalls Kate Berlant.

The pièce de résistance of John's period of chaos involves an uncomfortably close brush with death after he contracted malaria - on purpose, on a paid clinical trial - to fund his Edinburgh Fringe debut. If you think that's the punchline...think again. "I got paid handsomely to nearly die", John explains - "And it still didn't cover the cost of the Fringe."

John's signature style joyfully gallivants from one subject to another, taking the audience on a journey with every possible detour. Yes, he's dealing with an old-timey bible-style series of plagues, but surely you can't expect him to focus only on near-death experiences, skin rashes, and unfortunate encounters with vermin? Other topics he thinks about a lot, and which may feature in this show, include the pandemic of punctuality, the notion of a 'marmite' person, a deeply religious mouse exterminator, how stand-up comedians are basically the modern day Socrates and, of course, Faust and deals with the devil. Oh, and the sad-but-true tale of a nameless rat who org*smed to death - try to stay on topic!

John Tothill hails from Southend-on-Sea, Essex. A former teacher, he made his Edinburgh Fringe debut to critical acclaim, with praise from the Guardian and the Telegraph. His show 'The Last Living Libertine' sold out its extended run at London's Soho Theatre. His stand-up has been featured on Comedy Central Live and he has recently supported Fiona Allen on her UK tour.

John Tothill: Thank God This Lasts Forever will be performed at Pleasance Courtyard (Beside) at 8.45pm from July 31st to August 25th (not 12th).

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