Jake Mace
Mary O’Connell’s upcoming comedy hour Dilly Dally is headed to EdFringe at the end of this month. In it, she aims to navigate childhood, being the eldest daughter, and figuring out how to create a new family whilst still living with your old one. We caught up with Mary for a pixelated pint to find out more about what inspired the show.
You can catch Mary O’Connell: Dilly Dally from July 30th to August 24th (not the 11th) at Pleasance Courtyard – Attic from 19:15 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake: Hi Mary, your upcoming hour Dilly Dally is all about childhood, being the eldest daughter, and how to create a new family while living with your old one. Tell us about what inspired the show and how you found the comedy in it.
Mary: So for about 6 months my boyfriend at the time lived with me and my family. We wanted to move in together and we were trying to save money before moving into a flat. It meant that I got to see my family through his eyes and I fully realised how weird we were. Everyone’s family is crazy to someone, my family is crazy to him. When he came to live with us he got to see how the sauce (me) is made and it made me start questioning the ingredients in the sauce (my family).
I feel a lot of pressure as an eldest daughter, I constantly feel like I don’t have my shit together and I felt a lot of shame because instead of moving out and living with a partner, I just moved my partner in to live with me and my family. It felt like I was regressing so I tried to harness that anxious energy and put it into the show.
Jake: Were there any surprises along the way in developing the show, or new things you found out about yourself or about family dynamics?
Mary: Yeah there were lots of surprises, because I was observing my family a bit more than I usually would. We discovered that none of us are neurotypical which might explain some of our behaviours. I would talk about a simple family routine we had, like doing the dishes and then realise that what I thought was a simple after-dinner routine was actually us stimming as a family.
Also because I write about what happens in my life, when there’s a big life event I sometimes include it in the show. My dad had a heart attack in April this year, that was definitely a surprise – most of all to him. It was a really scary time but it also brought us all closer as a family. Since my show focuses on me not feeling like a proper adult and relying on my parents too much, it made perfect sense to talk about the real fear of being lost without my parents when my dad did get ill.
Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Mary: I want people to feel less bad about themselves for not achieving the milestones that society tells us we’re supposed to have achieved like getting married, getting a mortgage and understanding the movie Interstellar. I want to celebrate the moments that we spend wasting time or ‘Dilly Dallying’ instead of punishing ourselves for them. I’m a big believer in doing life at your own pace. If that pace means you still live with your parents, welcome to the club. I love it here, it’s warm, there’s a big TV and your mum’s shepherd’s pie.
Jake: Tell us what you’re most excited about for EdFringe 2025.
Mary: I’m really excited for those burgers that they sell in the Pleasance Courtyard. I’m also excited to see all my friends’ debut hours. It’s such a big thing to do your first hour and whenever I watch someone’s debut I always feel so proud because I know how hard they will have worked on their show.
I’m excited to see some chaotic clown shows and maybe some theatre if I’m feeling particularly sophisticated. I’d like to go for a run round Arthur’s Seat as well.
Jake: If your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Mary: My show would be a spicy margarita, mainly because I’m trying to make spicy margs the drink of the summer. But also because a spicy marg is a twist on something we already know and love. This show is a twist on the coming of age show, instead of coming of age into your teenage years/early 20s, you’re coming of age into your 30s. Someone told me that 25 is the new 21, at least they’re both legal drinking ages.
A reminder – you can catch Mary O’Connell: Dilly Dally from July 30th to August 24th (not the 11th) at Pleasance Courtyard – Attic from 19:15 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Image Credit: Rachel Sherlock
