Julie Hesmondhalgh performs in The Greatest Play in the History of the World...at the Traverse Theatre from August 3 - 26 (except Mondays).
- Tell us about your Fringe show
It’s a one woman show written by my other half, Ian Kershaw, and is a love story set against the backdrop of Preston Road, and infinite space! The thread running through the show is the Golden Record, a disc full of images and sounds portraying life on earth, that was sent into deepest space in 1977.
- How does it feel to be playing the Fringe for the first time?
I’m dead excited. I am a complete theatre and comedy geek, so the thought of seeing hundreds of shows when I’m not performing is like heaven to me. I came up for just one day a couple of years ago and managed to see five shows in about eight hours. And I love that at the Traverse I’m performing at different times every day.
- Why did you decide to perform at the Fringe?
A bit ago I asked my husband to write a show for me that we could take on the road for the rest of our lives, travelling the world with a few props in a suitcase and the words in my head in perpetuity, a one woman play about something universal that wouldn’t age over time. And that we could take to Edinburgh first. Where else would we start the adventure? He kept disappearing to the cellar for an hour at a time over one Christmas, then presented me with the first draft of The Greatest Play in the History of the World…shortly afterwards. Best present ever. And here we are.
- If you were not a performer what would you be doing?
Oh probably something in politics or social work probably.
- How do you prepare for a performance?
I try and calm the hell down! Bit of “red lorry yellow lorry”, a bit of putting myself into the hands of the universe. I like being in the auditorium when the audience come in with Greatest Play. It relaxes me and makes me feel that hopefully we’re all in it together.
- Best/worst advice you’ve been given ahead of your debut show?
To not book everything in advance, to leave some gaps for surprise joys. I’ll try and go to one show a day that I receive a Royal Mile leaflet for!
- Favourite thing about being in Edinburgh?
The atmosphere, the buzz, the shows, the community.
- What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve done?
Ever? I paid a young kilted man to play Happy Birthday outside my Scotophile mum’s B&B in Scourie on the morning of her 70th birthday.
- Favouite Scottish food/drink?
I’m partial to a bit of neeps and tatties.
- Sum up your show in three words
Love, loss, slippers.
Show summary
A love story, set on Preston Road, and also in space and in time. A man wakes in the middle of the night to discover that the world has stopped. Through the crack in his bedroom curtains, he can see no signs of life at all... other than a light in the house opposite where a woman in an over-sized Bowie t-shirt stands, looking back at him. Starring Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street, Broadchurch), The Greatest Play... is squashed full of exquisite observation and heartbreaking beauty.
Julie Hesmondhalgh performs in The Greatest Play in the History of the World...at the Traverse Theatre from August 3 - 26 (except Mondays).
For tickets, please visit www.edfringe.com
You can follow actress Julie Hesmondhalgh on Twitter at @juliehes
You can also follow producer Tara Finney at @tara_finney and @traversetheatre #GreatestPlay
visit th official website at https://www.traverse.co.uk/
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