Alice Fraser is bringing her new show Mythos to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in the show Alice takes on the stories and lies that we tell ourselves about ourselves and each other. In this clever and very funny show Alice asks: Is beauty truth? Is truth beautiful? What are flat earth conspiracists? Does Australia actually exist? What does anything even mean anymore? We caught up with Alice to talk about Mythos, tackling hard subjects and fighting Nazis with knives…
Funny Women: What is your new show Mythos about?
Alice Fraser: It’s about stories and lies and why people believe things SO HARD. It’s also about people who believe Australia isn’t real and my jewish grandfather who fought Nazis with knives.
FW: What drew you to write a show about how we lie to ourselves?
AF: The state of the world at the moment, where people seem to choose the truth that they want to believe rather than thinking about it for three seconds. I am also constantly finding out things about myself that are a bit embarassing.
FW: Your past shows, Savage, The Resistance and Empire made up an “unorthodox art-comedy/morality tale trilogy”. Are last year’s show Ethos and 2019’s Mythos part of another trilogy?
AF: Well, I’ve left it open for that, I guess we will see what threads emerge that might come together in a third.
FW: You seem to enjoy tackling big ideas in your comedy, is there a subject you think you think of as off limits comedy-wise?
AF: I think it’s good to talk about everything if you can do it well and in an interesting way. There are some things I won’t make fun of that I’ll still make fun with in my shows.
FW: While you’re at the Edinburgh Festival are there any other women comedians you plan to see?
AF: Laura Davis who is one of the absolute best going. She is doing her show on a bus this year. Also Tiff Stevenson who makes subversive politics seem totally common sense, and does it in cowboy boots. Catherine Bohart and Sarah Keyworth whose solo shows make up two halves of a fascinating relationship. It’s worth seeing them both one after the other. Eleanor Tiernan who is dry and hilarious.
Alice Fraser: Mythos is at the Gilded Balloon Teviot, Billiard Room at 20:45, 31st July, 1st – 26th (not 14th) August. For tickets click here!
