EDINBURGH 2023: Benjamin Alborough Q&A

BWW catches up with Benjamin Alborough to chat about bringing Absolute Monopoly to the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Absolute Monopoly.

Absolute Monopoly comes from a lifetime of obsession over the worst, most popular game of all time. I wanted to get to the root of a very simple question: Why is this terrible game still played?

 It turned out this question was too simple. The answer was that it has coasted on entropy for a full century. Playing Monopoly is handed down like generational wealth (if you’re upper class) or asthma (if you’re not).

I then gave myself a second question to answer; how can it be improved? There are hundreds of add-ons and extensions to the game but they all try to solve the wrong problems. They try to make it less competitive, they remove mechanics, they make it satirical.

Wrong. The problem with Monopoly is that it doesn’t lean into its antisocial tendencies enough. People argue over rules; fine - all rules should be conditional on a vote. People argue about other stuff; fine - encourage a game culture where you are rewarded for arguing and no-one leaves feeling like they’ve lost a friend. 
Also add insane victory conditions and psychological challenges.
 

How involved do the audience get?

The audience get involved about as much as it is possible for an audience to get. They are the contestants, the legislators, the jury, the summary executioners and they also physically become the game board. The show has an invisible superstructure that can support most wild ideas and unexpected events; but each show is 90% different and it rewards repeat visits in a big way. 

Where else might we have seen you before?

I like to hide in dark places and leap up staircases. Apart from that you may have seen me perform with the Weirdos or as my alter ego, Terry Wogan, on livestream or live, in a stream. I did some fun shows a few years ago that toured called Cream Tea and Incest & Ricky Riddlegang and the Riddle Gang. I also played Baby John in the 2008 Cardinal Newman Catholic School production of West Side Story.

Having taken shows to Edinburgh before, do you think you know what to expect from the festival? 

Edinburgh has its unique set of problems but I have done it, in various forms, every year since 2014 because I love doing it. I go up each year because I understand exactly what to expect; nothing less than complete and unconditional adoration from everyone who comes to see my show. So long as you go up with that mindset, you can’t fail.

Who would you like to come to Absolute Monopoly?

Each and every audience member is a treasured personal friend. As facilitator of Absolute Monopoly I cannot in good conscience rank preferred guests by anything as arbitrary as my own personal desire to have them come. The only way to measure someone’s worth is with how much novelty coloured money they can grip.

Benjamin Alborough: Absolute Monopoly

5:50pm, 2nd - 28th August (not 15th) at Assembly George Square

Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/benjamin-alborough-absolut

Photo credit: Matt Stronge 

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