Shay Mace
When you look up Jonathan Rudge’s upcoming debut hour on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe website, you’ll find a show description that bares as much earnestness as you could maybe find in a programme that’s well known for self-aggrandising – “nominated for no awards and never a sold-out show”, he’ll be looking to make a splash this year with this show where he dives into the world of messed-up-millennials and manifesting adoption into the Beckhams.
We caught up with Jonathan for a pixelated pint to find out more about Stay at Home Son.
You can catch Jonathan Rudge: Stay at Home Son at Just The Snifter Room at Just The Tonic at The Mash House on August 6th – 30th (not the 18th) from 20:35 (55mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Shay: Hi Jonathan! Your upcoming EdFringe show looks into the world of messed-up millennials – tell us about finding the funny there and what the audience can expect.
Jonathan: Gen Z are coming through, and I’m becoming increasingly aware that my millennial ways are slowly expiring. I grew up being told we millennial’s could be whatever we wanted and that it would all work out. We even thought we’d be able to buy houses. Wild. The world changed incredibly quickly between my childhood and early adulthood. Expect nostalgia, confusion, and a lot of jokes at the expense of me. And yes, I know I’ve said “millennial” a lot. That’s a very millennial thing to do. I’m learning Gen Z on Duolingo at the moment.
Shay: Tell us about your process for putting together this hour – what do you do to get yourself motivated and what challenges have you found with this material?
Jonathan: This is very much a “here I am” show. I’m still fairly new to stand-up, so I want audiences to leave not only having laughed, but feeling like they know me a bit better, my relationships, my friends, my home life, the things I love, and the things that irrationally annoy me (Kid’s in Gail’s currently).Thankfully, the show arrived remarkably easily. I’ve always worked on the principle that if I’m not feeling something creatively, there’s no point forcing it. The downside is that this often translates to doing everything at the eleventh hour. The upside however is that the version I finish is usually the version it was always meant to be. I’m not convinced creativity benefits from too much tinkering, especially when the material is personal. Give me a deadline and a mild sense of panic, and that’s where the good stuff happens.
Shay: Tell us about your comedy icons – who are they, and how have they influenced your work?
Jonathan: Without a doubt, Jennifer Saunders in Absolutely Fabulous was my first comedy obsession. Eddie and Patsy flying to New York for the day because Eddie had seen a door handle she quite liked remains one of the funniest stories. That show taught me young, without realising at the time, that comedy doesn’t have to be a string of one-liners, a story that builds is just as funny. A journey! I also remember when BBC Three launched with 3 Non-Blondes and Shirley Ghostman, they completely blew my mind. Looking back, it’s no surprise that I love crowd work so much. Those shows were often unscripted and unpredictable playing with the audience, which is exactly what I enjoy on stage. There’s nothing better than a room full of strangers accidentally helping you write the show in real time.
Shay: Has/will the show be performed anywhere ahead of EdFringe?
Jonathan: I’ll be doing ‘Work in Progress’ shows at London’s first Queer Fringe at The Queer Comedy Club on 15th and 16th July, before bringing it to The Glitch in SE1 on the 17th July. This is a chance for me to practice returning to my material after potentially wandering off into a conversation with an audience member forgetting I’m supposed to be doing a structured hour. I need a blindfold when I’m doing an hour-long show… Easily distracted doesn’t come into it. And after EdFringe? We’re manifesting the world tour.
Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Jonathan: Seeing my friends perform too! John James Davies, Sophie Sconcia, Michael McPheat, Chris Ford to name a few. It’s comforting and exciting knowing some are making the trek to Edinburgh too. Also, THE FOOD I love to eat. I live to eat! Edinburgh, Leith, Stockbridge have so many amazing restaurants I want to try. Ka Pao, Heron, Sotto… If this fringe run goes tits up, at least I’ll have food influencer content for the socials.
A reminder, you can catch Jonathan Rudge: Stay at Home Son at Just The Snifter Room at Just The Tonic at The Mash House on August 6th – 30th (not the 18th) from 20:35 (55mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Image Credit: Matt Stronge
Salvador Kent
