With the exception of book reviews, I’m not terribly good at keeping this blog up-to-date with all the latest Jasper info. Perhaps that’s due to my awareness that the market is fairly minuscule (restricted to one individual, currently typing); equally, that comes off as defeatist talk. Not very free-market-ist of me.

So, here’s what I’m up to: Edinburgh Fringe! Camden Fringe! Woohoo!

From Monday, August 6th – Saturday, August 11th, I’ll be performing at the Fife Theatre in Edinburgh in the original historical comedy, Who Killed Franz Ferdinand?

If Edinburgh is a bit of a trek for you (fair enough), then you can pop over to Camden from Wednesday, August 22nd – Sunday, August 26th to watch the show at the Etcetera Theatre, one of London’s most renowned fringe comedy venues.

WHAT IS IT?

Rest easy: the indie rock band known as Franz Ferdinand are very much alive and kicking. Our show focuses on another deceased figure, one from long ago, whose assassination lit the spark for a century of global bloodshed. Who Killed Franz Ferdinand? follows a group of Oxford academics hired to crack the case of who performed the titular action, whilst, in parallel, we learn the truth behind the Archduke’s murder.

In spite of all the ink-stained musings, meticulously-kept journals, and self-indulgent accounts, we never truly know history. What if the origins of the First World War played out differently to what the historians tell us?

COOL. WHO DO YOU PLAY?

“Jack Daniels – Professor Jack Daniels. No relation to the whiskey brand except a severe substance addiction.”

As one would expect from a comedy, our “heroes” are not exactly the wisest of people – nor are they particularly heroic. Let’s make this clear: almost every character in WKFF is an absolute wanker, but especially Jack. A thoroughly incompetent imperialist, alcoholic, misogynistic man-child, Jack is an acceleration of all the worst traits of the 1914-era man.

He is certainly a challenge to play. Comedy is the genre which most often garners criticism for its subjects, with frequent confusion between subject and target. That being said, the debate rages on about the utility of such humour, and the responsibility (some of it, anyway) does fall upon us as theatre-makers to ensure that confusion does not come easily.

Nonetheless, the failings of men to handle red-hot political crises is a recurring theme throughout history (see: all of modern politics), and is most apparent in WKFF. It is the women of the play who are truly the smartest in the room.

But enough chit-chat, lest I drop any proper spoilers…. oh, go on, have a few promo snapshots from our preview show in Winchester.

Good Lord. What is happening?

You’ll have to come watch the show to find it out… as well as the answer to the question of the hour, on the tip of the tongue of every man, woman and child across 1914:

Who Killed Franz Ferdinand?

(shot by me, obvs)