Carl Donnelly, with his warm, relaxed, laid back style is a firm favourite with Fringe audiences.
He tells Entertainment Now how he plans to enjoy the festival and shares fond memories of watching Phil Kay breaking all the rules of stage etiquette in pursuit of a laugh.
His show Carl Donnelly, Another Round, can be found at Monkey Barrel.
Tell us about your show. Why should we go and see it?
It’s a show about last year when both me and my daughter got quite seriously ill (her more than me) but despite that, It’s really funny. I know that’s a slightly simplistic answer but when I first started putting it together I was worried some of the topics might feel a bit too serious but as it’s developed it’s become sillier and sillier and I’ve worked out how to find the funniest stuff surrounding the more serious topics.
What is your favourite thing about your show?
There are parts of it that I genuinely feel weird talking about as they’re very personal but in making it fun and silly I think I’ve managed to slightly recalibrate how I feel about them and they seem a little less harrowing.
Do you have a Fringe idol?
There are comedians who I can’t think of the fringe without remembering the multiple times I saw them in my early days. Phil Kay would probably be the main one. He is one of the great fringe acts in that every year it would be impossible to guess what he was going to do in that year’s show. I once saw him actually piss himself onstage on purpose just for a laugh. It was pure chaos but so funny.
What three words best describe your performance style – and why?
Relaxed, silly, storytelling. I think I grew up watching Billy Connolly and Dave Allen and just loved funny storytellers. My family are Irish so that was the style that felt the most familiar so when I started out I quickly settled into doing what comes naturally to me.
Who are you looking forward to seeing in Edinburgh?
I’ll have my family with me this Fringe so I’ve been eying up fun shows to take my five year old daughter too. The pick of them so far is Trygve Wakenshaw’s show ‘Monsterrrr’. He’s so funny and I’ve seen a bunch of his shows before so to get to take my daughter to see him is very exciting.
What do you hope to achieve in Edinburgh – what are your hopes and dreams?
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not in the least bit swayed by the what ifs of comedy. I genuinely take each gig as it comes and just hope to have a fun time with the audience and we can all walk out in a better mood than we walked in. That is my main goal with the Fringe. To have a beneficial impact on everyone who comes to see me. John Robins once told me he thinks i’m the only comedian who doesn’t have an ego and it was the best compliment I ever received from another comic.
What are the biggest obstacles you face as a performer at the Fringe?
My obstacle is to not get too excited to see all the funny people I know at the fringe and end up drinking 1000 beers a night.
What do you hope the audience will take away after an hour in your company?
I hope they walk away a) having had a fun time and laughed loads and b) feeling like they’ve genuinely got to know me. I’m very similar onstage to offstage.
How do you plan to relax and recharge when not on stage?
As mentioned, I’ve got my family up so my days will be good clean family fun. I’ll be seeing a lot of kids shows, watching street performers, knocking about the meadows and just soaking up the best place on earth.
What is your idea of a perfect Fringe day?
Breakfast somewhere nice with the family. Maybe a walk up Arthur’s Seat (last year I took my daughter up and it was a bit steep so I ended up walking up the majority of it with her on my shoulders so this year we’ll see if she’s ready to walk it herself). A family show that is circusy or clowny. I might do a little gig somewhere. Dinner then my show and then I’ll probably meet a few friends for a nightcap and a debrief on the day’s events. Lovely stuff.
‘Carl Donnelly: Another Round, 20.30, Monkey Barrel, Hive 1, until 24 August (not 13) and then on tour including Glasgow and Edinburgh dates – all information via: https://www.carldonnelly.info
