Award-winning Scottish comedian Hannah Fairweather is the Taylor Swift of comedy, joking about everyone who has wronged her in the past. In her debut show Just A Normal Girl Who Enjoys Revenge Hannah reveals her list of people who have wronged her, all kept in her little blue book. But this isn’t a bitter show, Hannah believes you can still be the bigger person even when you choose to stand up for yourself – and that the best revenge can be found by getting the last laugh, and by finding your own definition of happiness even in the face of rejection. We spoke to Hannah about her favourite comics coming to the Fringe and if the people in her little blue book will be welcome at her show…
Funny Women: Tell us about your show.
Hannah Fairweather: My show is called Just A Normal Girl Who Enjoys Revenge, and consists of me reading through a list of everyone who has wronged me in the past. Think Taylor Swift if she lacked musical talent but maintained the same amount of never letting anything go. It is difficult to tell you more without giving too much away. But if one were to find my list of people who have done me wrong, kept in a little blue book I carry with me everywhere, they might find some of the usual suspects – ex-boyfriends, ex-colleagues, ex-flatmates, podcast hosts and, of course, some devout Christians I met while playing college golf in South Carolina.
They are real stories, but for legal reasons, I must insist, I don’t typically go around enacting revenge in my real life – in fact, in real life, I very rarely stand up for myself, I just write stand-up. I think standing up for oneself is something that a lot of people, especially women, have difficulty with – most of us think of what we actually wanted to say or should’ve said hours later in the shower. So that’s what I decided to do – take every thought I have had whilst shampooing my hair and turn it into a show.
FW: Do you anticipate seeing any people you seek vengeance on in the audience?
HF: I wouldn’t imagine so – but who am I to turn away a paying customer?
FW: How does it feel to be returning to a ‘back to normal’ Edinburgh Fringe?
HF: It is overwhelmingly exciting, I have been working on this show for so long and I am so proud of it and so ready to share it with audiences, but it feels surreal that it is actually happening after so much time. I think audiences will be equally as excited to get back to it, so I imagine it will be ideal playing conditions, I cannot wait.
FW: Have you got any tips for comedians going up to the festival for the first time?
HF: I think the best piece of advice I could offer is to remind yourself why you’re there, it’s such a fun festival but it’s easy to get wrapped up in all that it has to offer and tire yourself out. So, remember you’ve got a job to do and you want to do it as best you can. My priority will be making my show the best it can be every day and since I am incredibly sensitive with a terribly weak immune system, I will be drinking my herbal tea, getting plenty of sleep, and minding my business throughout the month. Showbiz, baby!
FW: Who are the funny women are you hoping to see in Edinburgh this year?
HF: Marjolein Robertson is one of my favourite people to see on a line-up and she’s an absolute joy to watch on stage, with an incredibly likable stage presence and jokes aplenty. Her show title is Thank God Fish Don’t Have Hands, and although I have not yet seen it in full and don’t yet know what her reasoning is, I guarantee everyone will leave entertained, enlightened, and in complete agreement.
Erika Ehler is also a brilliant comic and, like Marjolein, possesses a quality that should never be overlooked or understated. She’s one of the kindest people I have met in comedy, and in fact, life. Her sense of humour is wonderfully dark and her gags are always smart and subversive. She is a consummate professional in every way and her show ‘Femcel’ is at the top of my list of shows to see this Fringe.
Hannah Fairweather: Just a Normal Girl Who Enjoys Revenge is at Just The Tonic at the Caves at 2.25pm, 4th – 28th August (not 15th). For more information visit edfringe.com
