EDINBURGH 2022: Eli Matthewson Q&A

BWW catches up with Eli Matthewson to chat about bringing Daddy Short Legs to the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Daddy-Short Legs

This show was originally my attempt to make an hour of stand-up with no jokes about being gay, a task that was thrown into disarray when my father came out of the closet at age 62. At first, I was selfish, I thought he had stolen my thing, but it's been a journey that has brought us closer together as I juggle the roles of son and mentor. The show is a celebration of my dad claiming his identity and becoming the fully realised version of himself that he held back for so many years.

Why did you want to tell this story?
Like many comedians and artists I have the toxic trait of instantly wanting to talk about anything major that happens on my life onstage right away, so as soon as Dad told me I started thinking about it. Coming out is a process though, so I made sure he was in a good place before I ever talked about it onstage. It's a pretty unique circumstance, but I think people will see reflections of their own relationships with their parents in it, even if they've never had the unusual experience of bumping into their Dad at a gay bar like I did.

Where might we have seen you before?
I've been to Edinburgh twice before doing my own show and as part of the improv show Snort with my kiwi pals Rose Matafeo, Nic Sampson, Joseph Moore, Laura Daniel and Alice Snedden. We are back this year with even more friends so come check us out! If you've been in New Zealand at the right time you might have seen me on Dancing With The Stars (our version of Strictly Come Dancing) as part of the show's first ever same-sex couple. We topped the leader-board in week 1 then had a shock elimination in week 2 and it made the news for a full week, which was tough because I obviously hate attention. I've also been all over our local panel shows 7 Days and Have You Been Paying Attention, and I was in the Netflix show Cowboy Bebop.

Who would you like to come and see it?

I try and pack my shows with as many jokes as possible, so anyone who loves to laugh should have a good time. If you've ever been publicly embarrassed by your parents before, if you've ever made a total fool of yourself at the gym, if you've ever booked the wrong Airbnb or if you've ever had your name mispronounced by an Uber driver...there will be something for you to relate to.

What do you hope audiences take away from it?

The message of the show, I hope, is about it never being too late to learn more about yourself and to claim your own identity. I've gotten more and more comfortable in my own skin every year, and to watch my Dad do the same over the last few years has been really special. Hopefully the audience also think I'm pretty attractive even though I'm short.

Photo credit: Andi Crown

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