Chloe Radcliffe is a comedian, actor, and writer. Originally from Minnesota, she is now based in New York. She co-wrote and appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s Command Z, and was a staff writer on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. She had a sell-out run at the Fringe last year with her debut show ‘Cheat’. She has since signed a deal to adapt the show for TV. We spoke to Chloe about the show, that TV deal, and finding love at the Fringe.

Can you can you tell us about ‘Proud Raccoon’?

It is a is a brand new hour of stand-up. Last year I brought a solo show about my history of infidelity, my history of cheating all in almost all of my relationships. And that was such an excavation of my self and my emotions in my relationship with my parents, that this year it is an hour of pure fun! Top to bottom it is dick jokes and dating and me being a feral little animal!

But it is split into two halves. So the first half is: I have over the last couple years felt myself lose some optimism. I have looked at the world around me and felt a little underwater by the general attitude and by general happenings. and I used to be so optimistic. So the first half of the hour is me viewing things through a glass half empty. And then the second half of the hour is me doing things through a glass half full. So combined, they equal one total show.

Is it in any way a sequel to ‘Cheat‘ in that it comes from a different space personally?

I will say it is very much from the same person. Watching both hours I think it’s very clear that the same perspective wrote it. I’m mad about the same things. I’m exploiting the same opportunities. ‘Cheat’ is introspective with some sort of proper amount of shame and embarrassment about my behavior. And ‘Proud Raccoon’ is is pure pride, pure confidence, pure excitement; but the same sort of gross tendencies.

And for anyone who might be new to you, could you describe your approach to comedy and performance?

My performances I think I’m sort of smiley above all. I laugh at my own jokes. I love to be big and loud. I have fun on stage. I’m sure I’m very annoying to British audiences. But my approach to comedy in general is just answering the question: ‘What is funny about this thing?’ Every punch line that I’ve ever written – intentionally at least – has been purely an answer to the question. ‘What is funny about this thing?’ What that does is make me bad at analogies. It makes me bad at wordplay. All I’m doing is is answering a question directly.  I am American in that I lack some of the subtlety of British humour!

You’ve performed as a stand up now for for several years. How do you think you’ve grown and developed as a comedian since you since you began?

I am an inch taller now!. I really have figured out how to be the person who I’m funniest as at a party. I think I’ve figured that out on stage. Now of course in 10 years I will look back at this and go, ‘No, I hadn’t figured it out at that point.’ You hear people say you have to find your own voice and you only find that through doing it over and over and over. And years ago I was like, ‘Yeah, but give me the secret because I’ll just follow the instructions!’ And of course the answer is there are no instructions and you do just have to do it over and over and over, and I do feel much more firmly grounded in in my voice.

You’ve had successes as an actor, writer and performer in the US, so what made you decide to come over to perform at the Fringe last year for the first time?

There’s nothing like the Fringe in the US. There is absolutely no comparison. We just do not have the kind of crucible that Fringe is,for better or worse. Crucible in in a creative opportunity and crucible in a thing that gave me more wrinkles than I had before coming to Fringe last year. In terms of developing a solo show that I feel really passionately about., it’s unmatched. There’s just nothing like it.

And given that this is your second time here, what are your hopes and expectations for August now you’ve got a year’s experience of it under your belt?

My hopes and expectations are that I have figured out how to get cell service in Edinburgh more easily than I did. And also that I can relax more. Honestly, I did have a ton of fun last year, but I felt like strung up the entire time. And I am hoping that I can sort of… I’m trying to say let loose, let my hair down. It’s not that; I definitely let loose last year! I definitely let my hair down last year. I was very drunk many times. But I’m hoping that I can let my shoulders drop basically this year.

And what were the best and the worst things about the festival last year? 

I think the best thing was that I met Stuart Laws who I am still dating and who I now force to come over to America to see me. He’s he’s about to get on a flight right now. And he’s the best and he makes my life better every day, and I’m so lucky to have met somebody like that.

The worst thing about Fringe was living in Musselburgh. There were six of us American stand-ups all living together in the student housing in Musselburgh. And one of us had lived in that student housing the year prior and he vouched for it. He said, ‘No, it’s fine. We like it.’ And he doesn’t really stay out that late. He was happy to catch the last train home every night. We didn’t know that. And now smash cut to about a week into the festival. All six of us were standing in the kitchen area of that student housing. And we were all yelling at him about, ‘Why did you vouch for this? Why did you make us live in Musselburgh?’ And I remember that one guy goes, ‘Wait. So are you saying you would pay more money to live in the city?’ And the other five of us all chorus, ‘Yes!’ I’m very happy to be living in Edinburgh [this year].

Apart from the obvious one of meeting Stuart last year, did you have any memorable Fringe experiences whether good bad or weird? 

Good, bad or weird? Good was I rode a bike between between Musselburgh and Edinburgh. I cycle every day in New York. And so I got to keep riding and that was great. I mean also good was having people in, and you know that the highs are so high and the lows are so low.

I weird moment was, I got a five star review from a man, and did I put that five star review on the poster? Absolutely. But this revewer introduced himself to me before the show, asked to take a selfie with me, took a selfie, and then fell asleep during the show. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, ‘Five stars. Brilliant! Loved it!’ I was like, ‘If that guy doesn’t give me five stars, I will scream in church.’ So look, I will take five stars from anybody who falls asleep in my show any day.

Apart from ‘Proud Raccoon’ will you be performing elsewhere during August?

I’m gonna be doing as many compilations shows as I can. As many competitions shows as possible, and all of those will be found on my Instagram.

And are there other acts at the Fringe that you would recommend that audiences go and see ?

Stuart of course. And then Ania Magliano. She’s so great. There’s an American comedian named Ashley Gavin, who is a good friend of mine here in New York. And she’s so funny. We will both be clashing against each other’s shows, but we’ll be right across from each other in the Pleasance Courtyard and I’m very excited to be hanging with her.

You’ve recently signed a deal to adapt ‘Cheat’ for television. How much can you say about that at the moment?

Everything in the entertainment industry at least – I’m sure this is true in the UK as well – in the US everything in the entertainment industry moves incredibly slowly. So this is in incredibly incremental steps. I can’t even say it’s the first of many steps. This is the 50th of probably 500 steps. So I’m really really, really excited to be in a position to be working on a development deal on a solo show to adapted for TV, but beyond that it’s not even that I can’t say more than that. It’s like, there’s not much more to say, other than now we’re into the creative process. Now we’re into, you know, who might we want to be on the team, and what might the pilot script look like, and all that kind of stuff. But the road ahead is very long. That is what I can say.

‘Proud Raccon‘ is at Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker One from Wed 31 Jul to Tue 13 Aug 2024