For many people, Lynn Ruth Miller was the Edinburgh Fringe.
The living embodiment of ‘it’s never too late to follow your dreams’, she came to the Fringe from the US, first as a punter and then, at the age of 71, as a performer.
For the next decade and half, fans and friends would thrill to see this unique elder racing around the streets from one of her many shows, feather boa strung out behind her as she leapt onto another stage to deliver heartfelt stories, wicked one-liners and throw the odd incontinence pad at an unsuspecting crowd.
She made friends everywhere she went. Not just with her audiences (who spanned every gender, age and ethnicity – even dogs were welcome at her gigs), but with fellow performers, who would remain captivated by her stories and hunger for connection, long into the night, usually over a bottle of Pinot Grigio.
Much has been said about her incredible and challenging life in the many obituaries which followed her untimely death last September. For a woman of nearly 90, she was cut off in her prime. She still had plans and the long standing booking she made to die on her 100th birthday at the Leicester Comedy Festival was no joke. We were all going to be there with her.
Prior to taking up stand-up at the age of 70 she had lived many lived including a teacher, a TV presenter and a telephone madame (“I had no idea it was for sex – I thought it was a dating service!”) But it was at the Fringe, she said, that she really came alive.
When I met her back in 2006 she was performing in three different shows a day: Painting with Lynn Ruth Miller in the morning saw her handing out crayons and pastels to anyone who wanted to play. She painted all her life and at her memorial, over 200 artworks were displayed in a West End gallery before being distributed to friends around the world.
In the afternoon she told stories. Carefully crafted tales of another era, steeped in humour and wisdom. This was my favourite time to listen to her unique voice.
Her third show and what most people knew her for, was a cabaret – a triumphant mix of comedy, stripping and wig-slinging which saw her win the Time Out & Soho Theatre Award in 2014 and a week’s run at the Soho Theatre.
“I’m Lynn Ruth Miller, I’m 71 years old and I’m your future’, she opened with and would continue to do so, adding on the years to an increasing cry of disbelief from her enthralled fans.
It was 23.50 when she walked into a basement at C Venues (where Hartley Kemp would always find a room for her to make her own. Alex Petty of the Laughing Horse Free Fringe and Frodo McDaniel from the Bongo Club were also fierce advocates for her talent). I was co-hosting a late night show called The Midnight Carousel with Dusty Limits and for a moment we thought she as an audience member lost or early.
She handed me a well worn piece of paper with some scribbled letters on it and said, “Can someone play this?” Thankfully Michael Roulston was on piano that night and he transformed her scribbles into music and their friendship was cemented. Years later we would write songs together for her show ‘Not Dead Yet’, working around a voice she described as “awful but enthusiastic”.
Nothing about her was awful. She transformed when she walked on stage (or was sometimes helped up by a handsome man she’d pulled from the front row – she didn’t need their help – she just loved to be held).
She had a mission to spread and receive love, but she was nobody’s cute granny. She was passionate about equal rights, poverty, education of marginalised voices, ageism and the many closed doors she felt still barred her way as a later emerging artist.
In life and death she contributed so much to charity and nobody who met her was left unchanged.
When news of her passing broke, the Internet was awash with tributes, from old friends who remembered her from her Pacifica days to almost strangers who’d somehow had their worlds turned in a new direction after a chance encounter with Lynn Ruth on a bus ride.
Her friend Kate Copstick wrote beautifully about her here: https://entertainment-now.com/2021/10/remembering-lynn-ruth-miller-and-her-incredible-career
Now it’s August and she ought to be with us… and in a way she is. I see her around every corner, laughing, dancing, deep in conversation with a new friend.
On Friday August 19 we are gathering together at C Place (34 York Place EH1 3HU) from 9.45pm to pay tribute to our dear friend. Fans and performers alike are welcome and Daniel Cainer, Ada Campe and Guy Masterson are already confirmed to perform. It will be a lightly curated event. Anyone who wants to contribute can (please e-mail rufus@rhymeswithpurple.net so we have an idea of numbers).
No tickets are being sold but we’re collecting for Waverley Care in her honour.
We miss her but we know she would want us to sing and shout and make a joyful noise. She left us a legacy of love.
