Around 11 a.m. on a recent Saturday, the first of five ongoing comedy shows began to unfold on the stage of the Elysian Theater. Audience members were encouraged to provide feedback. And between the five hourlong productions, bagpipe music filled the Echo Park venue.
For artists Sarina Freda, Natasha Mercado, Charlie James, Miles Woods and Griffin Kelly, this “Edinburgh Fringe Percolator” was a chance to test out material before they travel to the famous Fringe festival in August. For the Los Angeles audience, it’s a chance to experience the Fringe without actually traveling to Scotland.
The annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival is billed as the largest performing arts gathering on Earth, with tens of thousands of acts performing at some 250 venues throughout the month. Before talent hits the spotlight, they’re usually honing their craft — in Los Angeles, that’s at venues like the Comedy Store in Hollywood, the nearby Kookaburra Lounge in the Ovation complex, or the Lyric Hyperion in Silver Lake.
Griffin Kelly workshops the production of “Two Cats on a Date” at the Elysian Theater.
(Chris Ungco)
The 2-year-old Elysian Theater is trying to establish itself as a community for Edinburgh artists, a place to share ideas, through its Frogtown home and its Facebook group. The nonprofit is hosting Edinburgh performances of Rachel Kaly’s “Hospital Hour,” a play about mental illness, on July 15, and “Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going to Do One (1) Backflip,” on July 14 and 16. Natalie Palamides is scheduled to perform her Edinburgh-bound “Weer” five times this month. “Avital Ash Workshops Her Suicide Note,” part of the 2023 Fringe, is revived by Ash on Tuesday.
Toni Nagy performed “Grape Culture” with Sarah Buckner five times at the unrelated Hollywood Fringe Festival in June, in preparation for its Edinburgh premiere. Nagy has a second title at next month’s festival, the cathartic parenting journey “Go to Your Womb,” in which she stars with her daughter, Adelia Aldrich.
“I’ve had to take an unconventional approach to my career because everything I do tends to go against the status quo,” Nagy said. “Bringing two shows to my virgin Edinburgh Fringe might seem like a bold move, but… they complement each other thematically, and if I can rehearse and perform with my 13-year-old daughter, I can do anything.”
Toni Nagy’s “Grape Culture” was performed at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in preparation for Edinburgh.
(Aletheia Lane)
Jay Light’s “Wrong! A Dark Comedy Game Show” began at the Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles and toured New York, Chicago and Austin, Texas, before settling at the Comedy Store in October. Three comedians compete by committing “cancellable crimes” and making “questionable decisions” in the show, which will run through July 22 at the Comedy Store’s Belly Room before moving to Edinburgh.
At the Ovation complex, formerly known as Hollywood & Highland, Fielding Edlow’s “Gaslighting Is My Love Language” promises “a brutally honest, unapologetically explicit and immensely funny hour of comedy” on July 25 at the Kookaburra Lounge.
A crop of Edinburgh shows are also previewing at the Lyric Hyperion, including Natasha Mercado’s “#1 Son” on Saturday, Milanka Brooks’ “Mum and I Don’t Talk Anymore” on Monday, Kym Priess’ “Loser Lion Party Bus” and Jackie Skinner’s “Beautiful Night” on Tuesday, Catherine McCafferty’s “(Not) That Bad” on Wednesday and Alex Kern’s “Thank You So Much for Coming” on July 13.
Kyle Ayers brings his “Hard to Say” back to the Lyric Hyperion on July 22. The show centers on Ayers’ trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic pain disorder, so the comedian’s goals in Edinburgh seem as personal as they are professional.
“I’m most looking forward to the ultimate chaos of it all,” Ayers said. “I’ll be way out of my comfort zone. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before, and I’m trying to embrace that aspect. I want to see shows I never thought I’d see, meet people I never thought I’d meet, and perform for people who would otherwise never see my show.”
The Elysian hosts workshops and discussions for established Edinburgh talent and the “Fringe-curious”. “Opening night is important,” Kelly warned at a Saturday session, noting that early reviews carry weight. But the pressure remains, as comedy gatekeepers and tastemakers can show up at any moment during the marathon of late-night sets.
Naked Comedy producer Sam Varela said one trend is crowdfunding. “This year, everyone is more broke,” she said, citing Hollywood’s labor strikes and job shortages.
So much time and effort goes into making a show in Edinburgh a success. For Los Angeles audiences, previewing the work provides a glimpse into that process.
“The first time I did Fringe, it really made me appreciate and understand the DIY comedy approach that’s exploded in the last few years,” says Light, noting the collective development it took to bring his show to the stage. “It took two years to make it good enough in front of a crowd like it was on paper.”
